mRNA vaccines are being deployed worldwide to fight the coronavirus.

Pfizer and Moderna use mRNA (messenger RNA) vaccines to combat the coronavirus. The question in many minds is about their safety. I am concerned about genetic modifications to our DNA and RNA. Does the vaccine alter our DNA? It is not possible based on the immediate destruction of mRNA after completing its mission.

Our Immune System

https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/hcp/conversations/downloads/vacsafe-understand-color-office.pdf Vaccines can be made in a variety of ways. Most have used a live virus or bacterium. These pathogens are attenuated (weakened) or are partial bits and pieces of a virus or bacterium.

Our bodies respond to the infectious particles entering our bodies. These invading bugs are foreigners that our bodies have never seen before. The entire process of fighting them and developing a corporate memory so that our immune response is faster the next time it sees that specific molecular structure.

mRNA

https://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/messenger-rna Messenger RNA is a single-stranded RNA (ribonucleic acid) molecule. It is created in our cells using our DNA as a template. Through various chemical reactions, mRNA is created from DNA by a process called transcription.

An mRNA strand is complementary to one of the strands in our DNA. The term ‘messenger’ means that it carries instructions. It travels from the cell nucleus to the cytoplasm. It delivers the ‘message’, and the process of translation or gene expression begins. The result is a chain of amino acids created in a specific sequence that forms a protein our bodies need.

mRNA Vaccines

https://www.nature.com/articles/nrd.2017.243 and https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/why-are-mrna-vaccines-so-exciting-2020121021599 The new vaccines developed for coronavirus are genetically modified strands of mRNA that have instructions to recognize and kill the coronavirus.

The product of translation from the vaccine mRNA molecule is the ability of our immune system to instantly recognize and counter the invading army of viral particles.

Our bodies bypass the normal tactics of discovery, reaction, and memory as it applies to foreign invaders. It is as if a spy had given our bodies the secret handshake to recognize friend or foe instantly without having to interrogate strangers to know who our friend or enemy is.

mRNA Safety

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-do-mrna-vaccines-work Until coronavirus there were no mRNA vaccines approved for humans. The entire molecular structure is not programmed into the mRNA. However, enough of the coronavirus molecular assembly is provided for easy recognition. If the entire structure were part of the instructions, we would be at risk for self-infecting ourselves. Since this information is not contained in the mRNA, that risk is not present, and it is safe.

This is technically correct. However, it assumes that the mRNA vaccine gets into our bodies the way it was designed. (https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/the-promise-of-mrna-vaccines-68202) We have heard that the Pfizer vaccine must be stored at around one hundred degrees below zero Fahrenheit. Degradation occurs if the mRNA material is allowed above that temperature for even short periods of time. The Moderna vaccine is not as sensitive to temperature and can be stored just above freezing.

Getting the mRNA strands into the cells is also a bit tricky. Nanotechnology has helped to keep the mRNA strands intact until they enter our cytoplasm. As with other mRNA strands in our cytoplasm, once the ‘message’ is delivered, the mRNA strands are destroyed by ribonucleases.

mRNA molecules cannot reenter a cell nucleus. It is a ‘one-way’ traveler only. It knows where to go (to our cytoplasm), but it does not know how to return to where it was made. This ensures that the mRNA vaccine molecule cannot infect and contaminate our DNA.

Conclusion

Some people have reactions, sometimes severe, to the new coronavirus vaccines. It appears to last a noticeably short period of time but can be alarming as seen with the allergic reactions recently in England during the initial rollout of the vaccine.

Our bodies respond to many things. Sometimes we eat something and get an allergic reaction. My wife is allergic to pork. I had a brief, very brief (months) allergic reaction to tomatoes. It should not be unexpected that some people might have an allergic reaction to some aspect or component of the mRNA vaccine. https://www.allergicliving.com/2020/12/16/faq-on-allergy-concerns-and-the-mrna-covid-19-vaccine/ is a good article on this topic.

Live Longer & Enjoy Life! – Red O’Laughlin – RedOLaughlin.com

 

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