What are the benefits of mRNA vaccines?
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Rhonda Patrick has provided detailed insights on the benefits and mechanisms of mRNA vaccines in several discussions:
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mRNA vaccines are beneficial because they can be produced quickly and in large quantities once the genetic sequence of a virus is known. This is in contrast to traditional vaccines, where actual viral proteins have to be cultivated in cell cultures, which can be limiting 1.
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mRNA vaccines instruct the body's cells to produce a portion of the virus (like the spike protein in the case of COVID-19), which then triggers the immune system to respond and build immunity without causing an actual infection 2.
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One significant advantage of mRNA vaccines is their ability to be updated relatively quickly in response to viral mutations or variants, as the mRNA sequence can be modified to match the new viral variant for the immune system to recognize and fight against 3.
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The mRNA vaccine technology is designed to be temporary, as mRNA is a transient carrier of information in the cell, meant to be used and then rapidly degraded. It doesn’t integrate into the host DNA, so the concerns about long-term genetic effects are unfounded 4.
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mRNA vaccine technology is not new. Clinical trials utilizing mRNA for therapeutic purposes such as cancer immunotherapy and treatments for genetic disorders like muscular dystrophy go back decades, with the first clinical trial recorded in 2001 5.
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The efficacy and relative safety of mRNA vaccines have been observed with large numbers of vaccinated individuals. Risks of post-infection conditions are higher with the actual COVID-19 infection than with vaccination 6.
These advancements contribute to the ongoing efforts to control and mitigate the impact of pandemics like COVID-19 and potentially offer solutions to other long-standing medical challenges.
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