mRNA vaccines, explained

Summary

This script narrates the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, highlighting the traditional methods and the innovative mRNA and DNA-based technologies that have revolutionized vaccine production. It emphasizes the unprecedented speed of vaccine development, driven by global collaboration and breakthroughs in mRNA vaccines, which use the virus's genetic sequence to instruct cells to produce harmless spike proteins, triggering an immune response. The script also touches on the challenges of mRNA stability and the potential of these new technologies for future treatments.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Dr. Maurice Hilleman's daughter's mumps infection led to the fastest vaccine development at the time, which took four years.
• 🏥 The Covid-19 vaccines broke records by going from development to approval in a matter of months, driven by global efforts and breakthroughs in technology.
• 🛡️ Traditional vaccines expose the immune system to weakened, dead, or part of a virus/bacteria to teach it how to respond to threats.
• 🧬 Modern mRNA vaccines, like those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, use the virus's genetic sequence to instruct cells to produce a harmless spike protein, eliciting an immune response.
• 🧬 DNA vaccines, such as those from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, use a harmless virus to deliver DNA instructions into cells, which is more stable than mRNA but requires a carrier.
• 🔬 Vaccine development typically takes 5 to 10 years, involving growing and transporting live pathogens in labs, a time-consuming process.
• 🔄 The speed of Covid-19 vaccine development was enhanced by overlapping human trial phases and starting manufacturing early.
• 🌐 mRNA vaccines require ultra-cold storage and a protective fatty barrier for stability, posing logistical challenges for global distribution.
• 🛠️ The use of mRNA and DNA in vaccines represents a significant advancement in vaccine technology with potential applications beyond Covid-19, such as for cancer or HIV.
• 🔑 The pandemic has underscored the importance of vaccine development and may act as a catalyst for future innovations in vaccine technologies and disease treatments.
• 🚀 The rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines could be a turning point, setting a new standard for vaccine creation and response to global health crises.

Q & A

Who is Dr. Maurice Hilleman and what significant contribution did he make to vaccine development?

Dr. Maurice Hilleman was a scientist who, after his daughter contracted mumps, developed the mumps vaccine in record time, which was the fastest vaccine development at that time, taking only four years from concept to approval.

What is the significance of the Covid-19 vaccines in terms of development speed?

The Covid-19 vaccines have shattered previous records for vaccine development, going from development to approval in a matter of months, driven by billions of dollars and a global effort, as well as breakthroughs in vaccine technology.

How do traditional vaccines work to teach the immune system to respond to a threat?

Traditional vaccines work by exposing the immune system to a weakened or dead version of a virus or bacteria, or an inert version of a toxin, or a small part of a virus. This exposure allows the immune system to learn how to fight off the actual threat if exposed later.

What is the 'spike protein' and why is it important in the context of the Covid-19 vaccines?

The 'spike protein' is a part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allows it to enter human cells. Some Covid-19 vaccines focus on this protein, using it to stimulate an immune response without causing the disease, as the body recognizes it as a foreign threat.

What are the challenges associated with traditional vaccine development involving live pathogens?

Traditional vaccine development involving live pathogens requires growing and transporting large amounts of these pathogens in a lab, which is time-consuming and can take an average of 5 to 10 years to reach FDA approval.

How do mRNA vaccines, like those developed for Covid-19 by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, differ from traditional vaccines?

mRNA vaccines contain synthesized mRNA with instructions that tell cells to produce a harmless version of the spike protein. The immune system then recognizes this protein as a threat and mounts an immune response. This approach eliminates the need for growing and purifying proteins in a lab, saving significant time and resources.

What is the main drawback of mRNA vaccines in terms of stability and storage?

The main drawback of mRNA vaccines is that mRNA is easily broken down. It requires a protective fatty barrier for delivery and must be kept at ultra-cold temperatures, which can be challenging for global distribution.

How do the Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson differ from mRNA vaccines?

The Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are DNA vaccines, which use a harmless virus as a carrier to deliver DNA instructions into cells. Unlike mRNA vaccines, these do not require ultra-cold storage but may face challenges with the body building resistance to the carrier virus over time.

What are the potential implications of the new vaccine technologies for future disease treatments?

The new vaccine technologies, particularly mRNA and DNA vaccines, open up possibilities for targeted treatments for diseases like cancer or HIV, as they allow for the delivery of specific instructions to the body's cells, potentially revolutionizing vaccine development and disease treatment.

How might the Covid-19 pandemic be a turning point for vaccine development and technology?

The Covid-19 pandemic has accelerated the development and adoption of new vaccine technologies, such as mRNA and DNA vaccines. The rapid development and deployment of these vaccines during the pandemic could set a precedent for faster and more efficient vaccine creation in the future.

Outlines

00:00

🌟 Rapid Vaccine Development: A Breakthrough in Technology

Dr. Maurice Hilleman's quick development of the mumps vaccine in 1963 set a precedent for vaccine speed, but the Covid-19 vaccines have shattered this record. The unprecedented pace of Covid-19 vaccine development was facilitated by significant financial investment and a global collaborative effort. Traditional vaccines typically use weakened or inactivated viruses, inactivated toxins, or parts of viruses to stimulate an immune response. The new mRNA vaccines, like those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, and DNA vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, represent a technological leap by using genetic material to instruct cells to produce viral proteins, thereby eliciting an immune response. This innovative approach has the potential to revolutionize future vaccine development and disease treatment.

05:01

🧬 mRNA and DNA Vaccines: The Future of Immunization

The introduction of mRNA and DNA vaccines marks a significant advancement in vaccine technology. mRNA vaccines, such as those for Covid-19, work by providing cells with the genetic blueprint to produce harmless viral spike proteins, which then trigger an immune response. This method bypasses the need for traditional lab-based protein production, significantly reducing development time and cost. However, mRNA is fragile and requires ultra-cold storage, posing logistical challenges. DNA vaccines, on the other hand, use a more stable genetic material and a harmless virus as a carrier to deliver DNA into cells. While they do not need extreme cold storage, they face the issue of potential reduced effectiveness over time due to the body building resistance to the carrier virus. These new vaccine types not only impact Covid-19 but also hold promise for treating other diseases such as cancer and HIV, potentially transforming the landscape of disease prevention and treatment.

Keywords

💡Vaccine

A vaccine is a biological preparation that provides active acquired immunity to a particular infectious disease. In the video's context, vaccines are the central theme, showcasing how they are developed and their importance in combating diseases like mumps and COVID-19. The script mentions the mumps vaccine developed by Dr. Maurice Hilleman and the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines.

💡Mumps

Mumps is a contagious viral disease that typically presents with symptoms like a sore throat and swollen glands. In the script, Dr. Hilleman's daughter's mumps infection led to the development of the mumps vaccine, illustrating the personal impetus behind vaccine creation.

💡Immune System

The immune system is the body's defense mechanism against pathogens, including bacteria, viruses, and other foreign invaders. The video explains how vaccines work by teaching the immune system to recognize and respond to threats, which is crucial for understanding the function of vaccines.

💡Vaccine Development

Vaccine development refers to the process of creating a vaccine, which traditionally takes 5 to 10 years. The script highlights the unprecedented speed of COVID-19 vaccine development, which was achieved through overlapping trial phases and early manufacturing.

💡mRNA Vaccines

mRNA vaccines are a new type of vaccine that use a small piece of the virus's genetic code called messenger RNA. The script explains how these vaccines, such as those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, work by instructing cells to produce a harmless piece of the spike protein, triggering an immune response.

💡Spike Protein

The spike protein is a key component of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allows it to enter human cells. The script describes how the spike protein is the target for many COVID-19 vaccines, including those that use mRNA to instruct cells to produce this protein.

💡DNA Vaccines

DNA vaccines are a type of vaccine that use a small, circular piece of DNA called a plasmid. The script mentions the COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson as examples, which use a harmless virus to carry the DNA into cells, eliciting an immune response.

💡Viral Vector

A viral vector is a virus used as a vehicle to deliver genetic material into cells. In the context of the script, it refers to the method used in DNA vaccines to introduce the DNA carrying instructions for the spike protein into the body.

💡Genetic Sequence

The genetic sequence is the precise order of nucleotides within a DNA or RNA molecule. The script explains how researchers use the genetic sequence of the virus to identify the part that codes for the spike protein, which is then used in mRNA and DNA vaccines.

💡Protein Synthesis

Protein synthesis is the process by which cells produce proteins, following the instructions encoded in mRNA. The video script describes how mRNA vaccines work by enabling cells to synthesize the spike protein, which the immune system then recognizes as foreign.

💡Clinical Trials

Clinical trials are a series of tests conducted to determine the safety and effectiveness of new medical interventions, including vaccines. The script notes that COVID-19 vaccines have been expedited through overlapping phases of human trials and early manufacturing.

💡Global Effort

A global effort refers to the collaborative work of scientists, governments, and organizations worldwide. The script mentions the global effort as a driving force behind the rapid development of COVID-19 vaccines, emphasizing the collective response to the pandemic.

Highlights

Dr. Maurice Hilleman developed the mumps vaccine in record time after his daughter contracted the disease.

Covid-19 vaccines broke previous records with unprecedented development and approval speed, taking only months.

The rapid vaccine development was driven by a combination of funding, global collaboration, and breakthroughs in vaccine technology.

Traditional vaccines expose the immune system to a weakened or dead virus, or a small part of it, to elicit a response.

The measles and annual flu vaccines work by using a weakened virus to teach the body to fight the real virus.

The tetanus shot is an example of a vaccine that uses an inert version of a toxin instead of a virus.

Hepatitis B and HPV vaccines use parts of a virus to stimulate an immune response without causing disease.

Some Covid-19 vaccines in trials use only the spike protein of the virus, which is harmless on its own but can teach the body to fight the virus.

Traditional vaccine development involves growing and transporting live pathogens, which is time-consuming.

On average, vaccine development to FDA approval takes 5 to 10 years, but Covid-19 vaccines have been expedited.

Covid-19 vaccine development was accelerated by overlapping human trial phases and starting manufacturing early.

mRNA vaccines, like those from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, contain instructions for cells to make the spike protein, eliciting an immune response.

mRNA vaccines are faster and cheaper to produce than traditional vaccines, as they do not require growing live pathogens.

mRNA vaccines require a protective fatty barrier and ultra-cold storage, which presents logistical challenges.

DNA vaccines, such as those from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, use a harmless virus as a carrier for DNA into cells.

DNA vaccines may require updates to the carrier virus as the body builds resistance, affecting the effectiveness of future doses.

The new vaccine technologies have the potential to revolutionize disease treatment and prevention for conditions like cancer or HIV.

The Covid-19 pandemic may mark a turning point not only in fighting the virus but also in the evolution of vaccine technology.

Transcripts

In March of 1963,

Dr. Maurice Hilleman was woken up one night by his 5-year-old daughter.

She was complaining of a sore throat. So Hilleman looked her over, and determined

she had the mumps.

Unable to sleep, he was struck with an idea.

He swabbed her throat for a sample,

drove to the lab, and got to work.

Four years later ...

his mumps vaccine was approved.

It was the fastest a vaccine had ever been developed.

Until now.

"A new vaccine against coronavirus..."

... and it's incredible how quickly this vaccine and others have been developed ..."

"This was done in record time ..."

"This is extraordinary. This is the..."

"...fastest vaccine development in US history."

In 2020, vaccines for Covid-19 shattered previous records,

going from development to approval in a matter of months.

That speed was driven by billions of dollars, and a global effort.

But in some cases, it was also because of a breakthrough in vaccine technology

decades in the making:

Something that could shrink this timeline going forward,

and change how we make vaccines altogether.

Vaccines teach your immune system how to respond to a threat.

And traditionally, there have been four ways to do this.

The two most common types of vaccines work by exposing you to a weakened

or a dead version of a virus or bacteria.

The weakened virus won’t make you sick,

but it will teach your body how to fight the real thing

if you’re exposed to it later on.

This is how the measles and annual flu vaccines work.

Another, less common type of vaccine does a similar thing,

but uses an inert version of a toxin instead of a virus.

The most well-known version of this is probably the tetanus shot.

This fourth type of vaccine works a little differently,

because it only uses a small part of a virus instead of the whole thing.

Common examples of this would be the Hepatitis B vaccine or the HPV vaccine.

Some of the new Covid-19 vaccines also rely on these traditional methods.

For example, one Covid-19 vaccine currently in trials uses this fourth method.

It only uses one part of the SARs_CoV2 virus,

known as the "spike protein."

That spike protein is what allows the coronavirus to enter your cells.

When injected into your body on its own, it's harmless.

But your body will still recognize it as a foreign threat,

and launch an immune response to fight it off,

which is enough to teach your body how to fight the whole virus.

But isolating and preparing that spike protein for a vaccine is a process.

Researchers first had to modify it,

then multiply it - a lot,

and then assemble the vaccine itself in a lab.

In fact, one thing that all four of these types of vaccines have in common,

is that they all require growing and transporting

large amounts of live pathogens in a lab.

And that takes a lot of time.

A vaccine goes through many steps before it can be approved,

but before anything else, it has to be developed.

And working with live pathogens makes that process a lot longer.

On average, it takes 5 to 10 years for a vaccine to reach FDA approval in the United States.

Most Covid-19 vaccines have gotten through this process a lot faster

by overlapping the different phases of human trials,

and by starting the manufacturing early,

But some vaccines have also found a groundbreaking way

to speed up this first section -

by shifting some of the work out of the lab, and into your body.

Nearly every function in the human body is carried out by proteins.

So our cells are constantly manufacturing them.

To do that, they make a single-stranded copy of DNA.

That copy is called messenger RNA, or mRNA.

Each strand of mRNA holds the information on how to make one type of protein.

The cell reads the mRNA, follows the instructions, and makes a protein.

And that’s where these two new types of vaccines come in:

they contain instructions.

Researchers who developed these new vaccines, called mRNA vaccines,

started with the genetic sequence of the virus.

They also decided to focus on the spike protein we talked about earlier.

But instead of assembling and purifying that protein in a lab,

they identified the part of the genetic sequence that creates it -

and then took a much faster route, by synthesizing mRNA, and using that as the vaccine,

which saved months of time and money.

Once it's inside the body, the cell reads the mRNA,

and begins to make harmless spike proteins of its own.

From there, your body’s immune system recognizes the foreign threat, and sounds the alarm.

This is how the new Covid-19 vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna work.

But the main drawback with an mRNA vaccine is that mRNA breaks down very easily.

It has to be delivered inside a protective fatty barrier, and kept ultra cold,

which isn’t super ideal for a vaccine that needs to reach all areas of the globe.

Another effective new-to-consumer kind of vaccine works similarly,

but uses DNA instead of mRNA, which is much more stable.

The Covid-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson are this type.

It doesn’t require the ultra cold conditions,

but it does have its own drawbacks:

To get the DNA into your cells, researchers use a harmless virus as a carrier.

But over time, your body will build resistance to that virus,

which means future doses using this carrier will become less and less effective,

and the carrier will need to be updated.

But in terms of efficacy, costs, and speed, these two new vaccine types have broken records.

These new vaccines are a groundbreaking way to elicit an immune response.

And while they’ll have a big impact on how we fight Covid-19,

their real impact is just beginning:

A vaccine that delivers specific instructions to your body

opens up a whole new world of vaccine technologies and disease treatments,

for things like cancer or HIV.

Finding a vaccine was a turning point for the pandemic.

But the pandemic might also be a turning point for vaccines.