[News] RNA vaccines against COVID-19 cannot modify our genome

[#Steeven.™]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, scientists around the world have turned to the development of vaccines to slow down immunization and thus avoid the collapse of hospitals due to the increase in infections of the disease.

Generally, the preparation of a vaccine takes several years of development, however, due to the efforts made, it has been achieved in less than 12 months, although long-term tests that determine the neutralizing capacity are still lacking.

Messenger RNA vaccines, developed by Pfizer and Moderna, have taken the lead in receiving authorizations for emergency use and also require logistics that have not been used before in many countries around the world.

The objective of vaccines is to create in the individual an immune response that allows him to protect himself from an infection of the disease. Unlike traditional vaccines, Messenger RNA vaccines insert a part of the genetic code that will allow cells to create the protein that will stimulate the immune system, describes the ABC portal.

One of the myths surrounding this type of vaccine is that it will modify the human genome. This has been denied by specialists to avoid fear of citizenship and the spread of erroneous ideas.

As explained, the molecule that has the messenger RNA is very fragile and that it will remain in the cell for a short period of time, so it will not be able to modify the genome but will instead be able to fulfill its function of producing the protein that will confront the virus and disappear.

In addition, it has been reported that the messenger RNA remains in the cell membrane and not in the nucleus that contains the DNA.

One of the advantages of this type of vaccine is the large-scale production that could be developed, which allowed millions of doses to be available by the end of 2020 to start vaccination in several countries.