Vaccines
Given the COVID-19 global pandemic, it is important to understand modern day vaccines and trust the science and chemistry behind them.
Have you ever met anyone with Polio, the Mumps or the Measles in the 21st Century? No? That’s thanks to vaccines.
Vaccines are an important part of chemistry and encapsulate the subject of biochemistry: the study of chemistry within organisms. Vaccines are designed to help prepare your body to fight off a viral infection and the nasty side-effects they can produce. Each virus has a unique set of proteins and a unique chemical signature, this signature is called an antigen. When a viral particle enters the body, antigens bind to special cells in the body called B-Proteins which then produce antibodies! These antibodies then bind to the viral invader and render it inactive.
Vaccines operate by triggering the body to produce antibodies without someone catching a viral infection. There are three main types of vaccines. The first type are live vaccines which contain a small dose or weakened version of the virus. The second type are inactivated vaccines which contain a dead version of the virus. The third type are conjugate vaccines, which use a specific part of the virus (like the spike protein in COVID-19) to produce an immune response. Each vaccine type will induce an immune response and force your body to produce specific antibodies for that virus. That way, if you come into contact with the virus, your body has the tools to fight it off!
A vaccine also has numerous other chemical ingredients besides viral material. Aluminum (Al) is often found in vaccines to help boost the immune response from the body. Organic molecules such as phenols and phenoxyethanol are used as preservatives to prevent any fungal/bacterial contamination. Trace compounds (found in the range of parts per million and billion concentrations) from the manufacturing process can also be detected such as formaldehyde, an organic chemical to deactivate a virus. All of these ingredients are diluted in a saline solution to reach the desired dosage concentration and ensure the vaccines are safe to be injected. All the chemicals listed above serve a critical purpose and furthermore do not cause harm when injected into the body.
Vaccines are vital to the health and safety of the global community. While getting vaccinated protects yourself, it also protects those around you by preventing the spread of viruses. Vaccines are one the greatest scientific discoveries in the last millennia and have transformed chemistry and science as a whole. The biochemistry of how vaccines work and the chemistry behind them have enabled vaccines to save lives everyday.