The Science Behind the Covid-19 Vaccine

It has been nearly four years since COVID-19 took the world by storm since it first appeared on December 31, 2019. But, just as fast as the virus appeared, scientists created a vaccine in less than a year! What’s the science behind it?

Virologists, scientists who study viral diseases and the biology of viruses, could create a vaccine in nearly a year because of messenger RNA, also known as mRNA. What is mRNA? Well, in most vaccines, such as some COVID vaccines, there is a dead or weak version of the virus; these are called inactivated vaccines (the dead version of the virus) and attenuated virus (the weaker version), injected into your body, thus teaching the immune system to creates antibodies. Conversely, mRNA vaccines teach cells to make proteins triggering the required immune response.

How does it work? mRNA in the covid vaccine is a piece of genetic material that has the instructions to produce the spike protein of the virus. Let’s go into a bit more detail; after you are vaccinated, the mRNA travels to the muscle cells, and once they are inside, they produce a harmless piece of a protein called the “spike protein.” This protein is also found on the surface of the virus (spike protein helps the virus enter cells). Our cells make spike protein, and they then project the spike protein on top of their surface. The spike protein then gets our immune system’s attention, producing antibodies. So, if you do get the virus, the immune system will remember the spike protein and send the antibodies to fight the virus.

Now that we know how the mRNA vaccine works in the human body, what else can we do with mRNA? According to a study conducted by CureVac (a company specializing in mRNA technology), they looked at the safety and immune response of a rabies vaccine based on mRNA in healthy adults. The results were good, encouraging them to launch phase 1 of clinical trials (testing on a small group of healthy people).

Works Cited:

1. Temple Health. “The Science Behind COVID-19 Vaccines.” Temple Health, 22 Jan. 2021, https://www.templehealth.org/about/blog/science-behind-covid-19-vaccines.
2. Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “Ask KHN-PolitiFact: How Can COVID Vaccines Be Safe When They Were Developed So Fast?” Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, n.d., https://www.gavi.org/vaccineswork/ask-khn-politifact-how-can-covid-vaccines-be-safe-when-they-were-developed-so-fast?gclid=CjwKCAiA0cyfBhBREiwAAtStHDYo44UfjVzN3xHOa5OKQ44slWKZMcDtsE5IN6is8y5u02gsr_lj9hoCN5oQAvD_BwE.
3. St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “How mRNA COVID-19 Vaccines Work.” St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, n.d., https://www.stjude.org/content/dam/en_US/shared/www/graphics/infographics/hospital-media/no-index/get-vaccinated/mrna-vax-explainer.jpg.
4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 Vaccines: Safety is a Top Priority.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 17 Dec. 2020, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/downloads/vaccines/COVID-19-mRNA-infographic_G_508.pdf.
5. “mRNA Vaccines.” MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, 14 Jan. 2022, https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/understanding/therapy/mrnavaccines/#:~:text=Most%20vaccines%20contain%20a%20weakened,is%20necessary%20for%20protein%20production.
6. “RNA: Introduction.” NCBI Bookshelf, National Center for Biotechnology Information, 12 Aug. 2021, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK558999/#:~:text=The%20primary%20function%20of%20RNA,RNA%20involved%20in%20protein%20synthesis.
7. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 Vaccines: Overview of COVID-19 Vaccines.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/overview-COVID-19-vaccines.html#mrna.
8. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “COVID-19 Vaccines: How COVID-19 Vaccines Work.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 24 Feb. 2022, https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/different-vaccines/how-they-work.html#:~:text=After%20vaccination%2C%20the%20mRNA%20will,virus%20that%20causes%20COVID%2D19.
9. “Where mRNA Vaccines and Spike Proteins Go.” Nebraska Medicine, 2021, https://www.nebraskamed.com/COVID/where-mrna-vaccines-and-spike-proteins-go#:~:text=The%20spike%20protein%20is%20located,other%20proteins%20your%20body%20makes.
10. “Other mRNA Vaccines.” GoodRx, n.d., https://www.goodrx.com/health-topic/vaccines/other-mrna-vaccines.