Oh what a time it is to be a science/physiology student! As vaccines have (slowly) started rolling out in Ontario there’s also been an increase in discussions on vaccinations () and celebrities sharing their well-researched thoughts and feelings ()

What hasn’t changed is how cool mRNA vaccines are and what they represent for the future of medicine! As someone who studied physiology and experimental medicine thought I would share some info on 1)basic bio/immunology and 2)how the vaccine works!

If DNA is your cell’s blueprint, messenger-RNA (mRNA) is the (temporary) instructions that are used to make proteins. Once you’ve made the needed protein these “instructions” are degraded

Your immune system has many different types of cells (like the different characters in Mario Kart). Some important ones: 1) natural killer (NK) cells and 2) B and T cells

NK cells attack and kill anything in your body that is “missing self” (i.e. anything that doesn’t carry your ID). This includes: viruses/bacteria/even tumor cells (they lost your ID).

B and T cells have 2 jobs: 1) they make antibodies (antibodies are disease specific) which are the soldiers that inactivate and kill the bad guys

2)after you’re done fighting off the invader, some of the B and T cells stick around (memory B and T cells) so that if the invader ever comes back they “remember” how to fight it off/which antibodies they need to make

At this point, I know you’re thinking - OMG the human body is insane. Don’t worry, this is why shows like @BillNye the Science Guy and #themagicschoolbus are so popular with kids #youarenotalone

Also important to know - viruses are really just a bunch of genetic material surrounded by a protein coat. They need host cells (aka you) to make more virus parts/build more viruses so that they can continue to spread.

SARS-CoV2 has a protein coat with a special spike protein (each virus has a different coat). This spike protein is important because the viruses uses it to enter your cells. Scientists were able to look at the virus’s genetic material and determine the blueprints for that protein

They then took the blueprint and made the instructions (mRNA) for the spike protein! When you get the COVID vaccine your body gets this set of instructions (a how-to on building the spike protein). Your cells read these instructions and start building copies of this protein

Your immune system starts to notice this new protein. NK cells start attack this foreign/missing self invader and your B and T cells start building antibodies to shut it down. On the outside this attack looks like: fever, chills, muscle soreness, etc.

Eventually your body destroys all signs of this protein. But the memory B and T cells stick around - just in case that invader comes back again. At this point everything from the vaccine is eliminated and you are left with your new memory cells

If you do get infected with COVID your body recognizes the special spike protein and your immune system has the template for the antibodies it needs to make! Your immune system wages an all out war/destroys the virus before it can make you sick

The End. **finally a use for my BSc and MSc!