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Scientists Working on Potential 'RNA Vaccine' for Coronavirus

There are dozens of efforts underway to make a vaccine against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. Some are using traditional methods, which use killed or weakened versions of all or part of the virus to get the immune system ready to fight. In this video from PBS, scientists including immunobiologist Akiko Iwasaki from Yale School of Medicine, biochemist Rhiju Das from Stanford School of Medicine, and virologist Angela Rasmussen from Columbia School of Public Health discuss the process behind using RNA to create a coronavirus vaccine. They say it could allow for even faster turnaround in developing and testing and then deploying the vaccine. The coronavirus’ RNA codes for at least 24 proteins, including its spike protein, which covers the exterior.

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    Transcript

    00:00:00 I'm the first person in the United States to receive the experimental coronavirus vaccine I was the second person to enter into the cove at 19 trial vaccinations I was just looking for something to do to help I said if this can help bring closure to this pandemic and save lives in the process I absolutely need to do this that Perona virus has unleashed global havoc a tiny

    00:00:25 virus with a vicious punch how can we hit back vaccines will be the savior in this entire pandemic the idea is to teach our immune systems to take out the corona virus before the virus takes over our body there are dozens of efforts underway to make a vaccine against Tsarskoe v2 the virus that causes kovat 19 a handful are using traditional methods which use killed or weakened

    00:00:56 versions of all or part of the virus to get our immune system ready to fight but some are trying a radically new approach there's a new game in town that allows for even faster turnaround in developing and testing and then deploying the vaccines and is called an RNA vaccine RNA which is a kind of ancient cousin of DNA RNA molecules are the scripts that virus is used and that our human bodies

    00:01:26 also use to make proteins the coronaviruses RNA codes for at least 24 proteins including its spike protein which covers the exterior it's the protein that makes the corona viruses have the crown appearance that they're named after Tsarskoe v2 uses this protein to bind to and enter ourselves where it then injects its RNA hijacking those cells to make lots more virus it's

    00:01:55 almost like a skeleton key for a lock opening a portal within human cells that the virus can slip there so if we can block that process if you can neutralize the virus before it enters the cell that will probably be the Achilles heel that we need to target we can tell our body hey if you see anything with that kind of a skeleton key shape then just destroy it

    00:02:18 this is where an RNA vaccine comes in which becomes possible when you have the virus's genetic sequence and you know which genes code for which proteins so the concept of an RNA vaccine is let's inject the RNA molecule that encodes for the Spike protein it's making yourself do the work of creating this viral protein that is going to be recognized by your immune system and trigger the

    00:02:45 development of these antibodies our bodies won't make them full-fledged infectious virus I'll just make a little piece and then learn to recognize it and then get ready to destroy the virus if it then later comes and invades us the advantage of the RA vaccine is that it can be produced within a matter of days so these types of vaccines are much faster to generate much faster than it

    00:03:08 takes for example to even prepare a flu shot for the seasonal flu strain but on the other hand it's a relatively new unproven technology and there's still no example of the RNA vaccine that's been deployed worldwide in the way that we need for the corona virus there's the possibility for unforeseen adverse effects so this is all new territory whether it would elicit protective

    00:03:29 immune response against this virus is just unknown right now in addition RNA molecules have a weakness here's the dirty secret they are ephemeral they're like the snapchat molecules our bodies make an RNA script and destroy it a few minutes later once they've used it - as a little temporary instruction manual olymic proteins and so here is

    00:03:53 the issue if we make a bunch of these RNA vaccines and keep them in the fridge if you wait a couple of days they're no longer good vaccines their expiration date is like a couple of days after you make up and they have to be kept at a temperature of minus 80 degrees Celsius which is super cold this is a big deal breaker will have to find a way to stabilize

    00:04:14 RNA so their refrigerators safe and no one is quite figured how to do that and that is actually the problem that I'm involved in reagent dose is optimistic I think we're gonna have a vaccine but it's too soon to tell which approach will get us the vaccine we need traditional techniques may yet win the race right now I wouldn't rule anything out because we just need a really good

    00:04:36 vaccine against this virus I think the best approach is a multi-pronged approach where multiple vaccines are tried for efficacy and safety and I'm hopeful that there will be a lot of public support to continue working on some of these things so that we're more protected and more prepared for the next pathogen that might emerge and in the midst of the current pandemic it takes

    00:05:02 all kinds of people pitching in to get us to the other side the piece that that I played here I really does pale in comparison to the to the sacrifices that others are making right now it's it's not heroic to sit down and get an injection in your arm what's heroic are the people who are on the frontlines exposing themselves to try and save lives every day that's what heroism is

    00:05:23 [Music]