When it comes to vaccines, it is undeniable that they may take years, and maybe decades to be developed and put into use. However, vaccines for COVID-19, during the time of emergency, were brought out in less than 11 months of research. What are the techniques behind it, and how did scientists cut such corners to timingly send sufficient help to those who were suffering?
The reason for this promptness is that the development of vaccines for COVID-19 actually began with efforts on SARS (2003) and MERS (2012), which includes studying the structure of the Spike protein of other viruses and developing mRNA – messenger ribonucleic acid, to create multiple viral proteins. Therefore, the development of COVID-19 vaccines didn’t wrap up in less than a year as everyone thought, but it is a 23-year race against the clock, with the necessary procedures having been conducted since the beginning of the century.
The case of COVID-19 vaccines is grounded on the basis of mRNA leveraging. These are molecules encoded with the instructions on producing viral proteins in the body. To be more specific, scientists create trillions of mRNA molecules and give instructions for a body to create a viral protein. After that, they inject these mRNA sequences into a nanoparticle covered with lipids, which works as a protector of the mRNA substance while assisting it into the cells. The lipids disperse as the nanoparticle enters the cells and releases the mRNA viral protein. The ribosome inside the cells will translate the instructions and assemble proteins similar to the patterns of mRNA, thus creating a viral protein to train the body’s immune response towards the COVID-19. Many scientists regarded this development a “major breakthrough” and soon, the vaccines reached people all over the world.
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A remedy though it indeed is. The vaccine for COVID-19 was no exception regarding adverse events following immunisation. Receivers of this vaccination experienced a multitude of symptoms ranging from short-term memory loss, and muscle pain, to hair loss, and anemia. This is because many vaccines used an adenovirus to ferry a gene for the COVID-19 virus’ spike protein into human cells, triggering “rogue” antibodies in people with an unlucky combination of genetic background. Furthermore, this investment on a SARS-CoV2 vaccine in 1 year equals about the same government investment in other serious diseases for 5 or more years.
The question is, if we can speed up the process for COVID-19, can we do this for other diseases? This is an important question, and the answer might be a yes. The early investment in understanding the basic science of SARS 2001 and MERS created a critical foundation. We have mobilized science in academia, the private sector and government around a unified mission. Indeed, the government-coordinated convergence of the NIH (National Institutes of Health), CDC (Center for Disease Control and Prevention), and FDA (U.S Food and Drugs Association) has provided arguably one of the best returns on investment for our society. The rapid genesis of the COVID-19 vaccination is the tangible embodiment of how concerted human efforts can quell death’s rampage.
Credits: TED-Ed, National Institutes of Health
Editor: Bach Quang Do
Illustrator: Linh Trieu