Since the beginning of the pandemic, we have seen too many people opining and talking about the effects and differences between COVID vaccines, but what are vaccines and how are they done?
Vaccine is a term used for preparations whose purpose is to achieve immunity in the organism they affect, making the immune system able to defend itself against a pathogen. A vaccine usually contains an agent that resembles a disease-causing microorganism and is often made from weakened or killed forms of the microbe, its toxins or one of its surface proteins.
We recently told you in our blog about medical 3d animation how to visualize vaccines and a video of a 3d animation about the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
They also usually contain preservatives, which ensure that the vaccine does not lose efficacy during the vaccine, and adjuvants, which stimulate the immune system so that a response is certain to occur and the vaccines are effective.
Different types of vaccine
The most widely used vaccines in the world are those of Oxford-AstraZeneca, Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Sinopharm, Janssen and Sputnik V. These correspond to 3 types of vaccine: viral vector vaccine, Inactivated virus vaccines and mRNA vaccines.
The mRNA vaccines, such as those of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are novel vaccines that are achieved by isolating a piece of the genetic material of the virus and introducing it into a small DNA ring called a plasmid.
This plasmid is introduced into bacteria, which, when they reproduce, multiply the information introduced into them and this can be collected. Then with this collected DNA, the natural mechanism of transcription is exploited to generate mRNA, which is a molecule that serves as a conductor of information from our genetic material to generate proteins, and is surrounded by lipids to prevent it from degenerating.
Inactivated vaccines
Inactivated vaccines, such as Sinopharm’s, are vaccines that are made by taking the virus and applying a chemical substance called beta-propiolactone that causes it to be inactivated. The viruses are not able to reproduce when they are inactivated, but they do maintain the integrity that allows them to be recognized by the immune system.
Viral vector vaccines
Viral vector vaccines, such as Janssen, Oxford-AstraZeneca or Sputnik V, are vaccines that take advantage of the natural mechanism of a virus called adenovirus to enter cells. This virus is modified so that it is not able to reproduce, which causes viral diseases, and has a fragment of genetic material from a coronavirus protein that allows the immune system to recognize it.
mRNA vaccines
The mRNA vaccines, such as those of Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna, are novel vaccines that are achieved by isolating a piece of the genetic material of the virus and introducing it into a small DNA ring called a plasmid. This plasmid is introduced into bacteria, which, when they reproduce, multiply the information introduced into them and this can be collected.
Then with this collected DNA, the natural mechanism of transcription is exploited to generate mRNA, which is a molecule that serves as a conductor of information from our genetic material to generate proteins, and is surrounded by lipids to prevent it from degenerating.
How can 3DforScience help you?
3DforScience is a scientific communication company specialized in visual content for the life science sector. We are a passionate creative team of scientists, marketers, artists, and animators with a shared aim: to help you improve your scientific communication with innovative and unique creative solutions.
We can help to boost your scientific communication capabilities within the biotechnological/ molecular biology fields by designing unique creative solutions such as 3D animation videos or illustrations.
Would you like to bring your scientific messaging to life? Contact us. We would be pleased to provide you with a unique creation.
