Are We On Track to Have A COVID-19 Vaccine by 2021?

Two vaccine candidates are being pushed to market, but what are they exactly, and how close are we really to having a reliable vaccine?

Right now, there are more than 160 COVID-19 vaccines in development, but two in particular are making the most headlines; one from Moderna Inc and another from University of Oxford.

Once SARS-CoV-2’s entire genome was sequenced in January 2020 and uploaded to a public database for anyone to copy, the race toward a viable vaccine was on.

Moderna made headlines early in the pandemic because it was one of the first to take this sequenced genome and combine it with their already developed mRNA technology called mRNA-1273. mRNA, or messenger RNA, is an instruction molecule that instructs a cell on how to use that genetic code.

The University of Oxford is taking a different approach. A team is using a weakened and modified version of a chimpanzee adenovirus vaccine vector—basically a harmless virus that causes colds in chimps. Their vaccine, called ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 (or AZD1222), also uses the genetic code for the coronavirus “spike protein”. But instead of placing it inside an mRNA molecule, the team placed these instructions inside the adenovirus inducing a similar immune response to protect the body from future infections.

Find out more about what makes these COVID-19 vaccines so special and different from the others, and how close they are to actually being available for widespread use in this Elements.

#covid19 #vaccine #pandemic #health #science #seeker #elements

Read More:
mRNA vaccines represent a promising alternative to conventional vaccine approaches because of their high potency, capacity for rapid development and potential for low-cost manufacture and safe administration. However, their application has until recently been restricted by the instability and inefficient in vivo delivery of mRNA. Recent technological advances have now largely overcome these issues, and multiple mRNA vaccine platforms against infectious diseases and several types of cancer have demonstrated encouraging results in both animal models and humans.

DNA Vaccines—How Far From Clinical Use?
"Compared to conventional protein/peptide-based vaccines intended to induce antigen-specific adaptive immune responses, DNA vaccines are more stable, cost-efficient, easy to manufacture and safe in handling [1]. DNA vaccines are being investigated for various applications including therapy of cancer [2], allergies [3], autoimmune [4] and infectious diseases [5]."

Coronavirus Vaccine Tracker
"Work began in January with the deciphering of the SARS-CoV-2 genome. The first vaccine safety trials in humans started in March, but the road ahead remains uncertain. Some trials will fail, and others may end without a clear result. But a few may succeed in stimulating the immune system to produce effective antibodies against the virus."
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[ralphgyle]

the university of oxford vaccine is halted

[indrejeetmilwar]

vaccine : developing
virus : updating
COVD 19 is old
COVD 20 coming soon

[z.deutch]

Currently the Oxford vaccine has been put on hold due to a volunteer falling ill (they're not sure if volunteer got the placebo shot or the covid shot). Will find out details in a week's time

[Yezpahr]

Vaccine: **contains chad**
Chad: **contains vaccine**

[EJavierPaniaguaLaconich]

"affordable"
time to get a real national health service FFS

[SciFactsYT]

Random fact:

The scientific name for brain freeze is sphenopalatine ganglioneuralgia.

-SciFacts

[bazoo]

Umm, antibodies don't "remember the infection for future protection" - memory B cells (and perhaps some T cells) do. Antibodies directly bind to specific sites (antigens) on foreign organisms or other particles in order to neutralize them.
The distinction is important, because in the case of SARS-CoV-2 the antibodies seem to persist in the bloodstream for mere months after exposure.

[wcdeich]

Hank Greene on the SciShow Channel said RNA vaccines can rarely backfire & cause less immune response to a virus. Not sure why, but possibly, when our own cells start turning out a virus protein, the immune system may think that protein is a harmless part of our own bodies & ignore the spike protein if you get infected with the real virus.

[elonmush]

This video was brought to you by Moderna Inc.

[braedenL]

What makes this not rushed? It usually takes 3-5 years for a vaccine to be safely approved but this ones been less than a year

[jasonwebb]

Am I the only person watching this, thinking about the movie I am Legend?

[americanthaiguy]

What role is artificial intelligence playing in the speed at which these vaccines are being developed? 🤔

[TheAgamidaex]

Did everyone notice? 5:03 "Rack to the future" :)

[AhmadTRagab]

Why didn't you include the vaccines developed in China? They are ongoing Phase 3 clinical trials.

[tubedmiaz]

Ok but what are the negatives to nucleic acid, if any?

[MisterCynic]

I wish I had been sitting in my home for months

[sumguy]

People: change human dna using virus rna
Also people: where did all these zombies come from?

[jackFatal]

so if i understand correctly we can now use dna coding like we do for programs and just install it like an update to our bodies. That's great!!! Just one question if this method work can we use the same technique to cure AIDS?

[mooodeang]

Is it safe for someone who's just gone through chemo to take the vaccine? And if not how long after the chemo should one wait before it's safe to take the vaccine?

[swarupseth]

May God bless the scientists working hard to develop the vaccine. Those are the true heroes 🙏🙏