How the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Work
Authors:
Jonathan Corum and Carl Zimmer
Date:
Dec. 23, 2020
From:
The New York Times
Publisher:
The New York Times Company
Document Type:
Article
Length:
572 words
Lexile Measure:
1320L
Full Text:
The Food and Drug Administration has now authorized two vaccines for Covid-19, one made by Pfizer and BioNTech and the other byModerna. The two vaccines have efficacy rates of 94 percent or more, and use the same strategy to train our immune systems to fightthe coronavirus.
A Piece of the Coronavirus
The coronavirus is studded with proteins that it uses to enter human cells. These so-called spike proteins make a tempting target forpoten- tial vaccines and treatments, and the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are based on the virus’s genetic instructions forbuilding the spike protein.
Messenger RNA Inside an Oily Shell
The two vaccines use messenger RNA, genetic material that our cells read to make proteins. The molecule — called mRNA for short — isfragile and would be chopped to pieces by our natural enzymes if it were injected directly into the body. To protect the mRNA, thevaccines wrap it in oily bubbles made of lipid nanoparticles.
Lipid nanoparticles surrounding mRNA
Because of their fragility, the mRNA molecules would quickly fall apart at room temperature. Pfizer is building special containers with dryice, thermal sensors and GPS trackers to ensure the vaccines can be transported at minus 94 degrees to stay viable. Moderna’s vaccinewill need to be refrigerated, and should be stable for up to six months when shipped and stored at minus 4 degrees.
Entering a Cell
After injection, the vaccine particles bump into cells and fuse to them, releasing mRNA into the cell. The cell’s molecules read itssequence and build spike proteins. The mRNA from the vaccine is eventually destroyed by the cell, leaving no permanent trace.
Spotting the Intruder
When a vaccinated cell dies, the debris contains many spike proteins and protein fragments, which can be taken up by a type of immunecell called an antigen-presenting cell.
The cell presents fragments of the spike protein on its surface. When other cells called helper T-cells detect these fragments, the helperT-cells can raise the alarm and help marshal other immune cells to fight the infection.
Making Antibodies
Other immune cells called B-cells may bump into the spikes on the surface of vaccinated cells, or free-floating spike protein fragments. Afew of the B-cells may be able to lock onto the spike proteins. If these
B-cells are then activated by helper T-cells, they will start to proliferate and pour out antibodies that target the spike protein.
Stopping the Virus
The antibodies can latch onto coronavirus spikes, mark the virus for destruction and prevent infection by blocking the spikes from attach-ing to other cells.
Killing Infected Cells
The antigen-presenting cells can also activate another type of immune cell called a killer T-cell to seek out and destroy any corona- virus-infected cells that display the spike protein fragments on their surfaces.
Remembering the Virus
Protruding spikes
Displaying spike protein fragments
Matching surface proteins
The Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine requires two injections, given 21 days apart, to prime the immune system well enough to fight off thecoronavirus. Moderna’s vaccine also requires two injections, spaced 28 days apart. But because the vaccines are so new, researchersdon’t know how long their protection might last.
It’s possible that in the months after vaccination, the number of antibodies and killer T-cells will drop. But the immune system alsocontains special cells called memory B-cells and memory T-cells that might retain information about the coronavirus for years or evendecades.
Copyright:
COPYRIGHT 2020 The New York Times Company
http://www.nytimes.com
Source Citation
(MLA 8th Edition)
Corum, Jonathan, and Carl Zimmer. “How the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna Vaccines Work.”
New York Times
, 23 Dec. 2020, p. D8(L).
Gale Academic OneFile
, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A646130643/AONE?u=cuny_bron60695&sid=AONE&xid=cf1dbe60. Accessed 27Jan. 2021.
Gale Document Number:
GALE|A646130643
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