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I read thinking it is was just RNA molecules in the test tubes, but they added ribosomes (protein-based enzyme translation machinery) to the mix. You could thi
by innomatics 4y ago
I read thinking it is was just RNA molecules in the test tubes, but they added ribosomes (protein-based enzyme translation machinery) to the mix.
You could think of ribosomes and other cellular proteins as the system hardware and DNA/RNA the software.
Whilst this experiment is nonetheless interesting, even more so the 'RNA world' theory of how life evolved from just RNA molecules, functioning as both enzymes (ribozymes) and genetic material - code that _is_ the hardware, and built itself!
- bitwize 4y agoI was explaining the mRNA vaccines to my dad who has... a tough time getting them, and the analogy I used was that ribosomes are like tiny 3D printers which print whatever is encoded in mRNA. Normally these are proteins and structures for your own body whose specs are copied over from DNA, but when the mRNA vaccine enters the cell the ribosomes 3D-print a single COVID spike, which then triggers an immune response.
- innomatics 4y agoThat's a nice explanation. If I were him I'd ask why not just print the spikes at the vaccine factory and inject them? TBH I'm not sure if it's easier/cheaper to use the 3D-printers in our cells, or its more about accurate delivery to the right places, or something else.
- civilized 4y agoSome educated guesses: 1. We don't have "ribosomes at scale" 2. We don't have a way to separate the ribosome product from the factory 3. Keeping the product stable is hard
- mrguyorama 4y agoAnother interesting reason is that if you do it the mRNA way, you will continue to internally produce those spike proteins to train your immune system for a week or two
- ch4s3 4y agoBasically it takes longer to produce them at scale, and they've been less effective at preventing covid infection in clinical trials.
- arrosenberg 4y agoThe non-mRNA vaccines do work like that. They use big vats of bacteria as bioreactors and ship the finished product. Long term, mRNA is a more flexible solution - just ship the blueprints and let people make it themselves.
- dukeofdoom 4y agoWhat stops new spike proteins from being printed endlessly and damaging the immune system? The newly released Pfizer documents show that some people experienced severe reactions to the vaccine, up to and including death. Many of the severe reactions mirrored reactions to COVID itself. Isn't the spike protein itself the dangerous part of the virus?
- ch4s3 4y ago> What stops new spike proteins from being printed endlessly and damaging the immune system? The RNA breaks down quickly and predictably and then it stops being picked up by the ribosomes. > damaging the immune system The immune system exists to look at, catalogue, and react to things like foreign proteins. The spike protein get made and ejected from your cells into interstitial fluids. From there they flow into lymph nodes. Special cells in the lymph nodes make anti-bodies and record the shape of the protein in anticipation of seeing it again in the future. Think of that as the second line of defense, with the anti-bodies being the first line. Anti-bodies prevent infection, and the cells that recognize the protein on the virus fight and infection if it happens. > The newly released Pfizer documents show that some people experienced severe reactions to the vaccine This is the immune response. The adaptive immune system can over react to stimuli for lack of a better work and trigger cascades of neutrophils and other immune cells and proteins to flood you circulatory system. The main weapon of these immune responses is inflammation which is stressful on your body. But pathogens, vaccines, or any number of things could trigger this response.
- usdptoftruth 4y ago[flagged]
- hcknwscommenter 4y agoPlease stop. Covid vaccines did not fail and are incredibly safe. They have saved millions of lives. The source of misinformation is you.