How the COVID-19 vaccines were created so quickly - Kaitlyn Sadtler and Elizabeth Wayne

Prevodilac: Milena Petrovic Lektor: Milenka Okuka

In the 20th century, most vaccines took well over a decade

U 20. veku, za većinu vakcina je trebalo više od decenije

to research, test, and produce.

da se istraže, testiraju i proizvedu.

But the vaccines for COVID-19 cleared the threshold for emergency use

Ali vakcine za kovid-19 su premašile prag za hitnu upotrebu

in less than 11 months.

za manje od 11 meseci.

The secret behind this speed is a medical technology

Tajna ove brzine je medicinska tehnologija

that’s been developing for decades:

koja se razvija već decenijama:

the mRNA vaccine.

iRNK vakcina.

This new treatment uses our body’s existing cellular machinery

Ovaj novi vid lečenja koristi već postojeću ćelijsku mašineriju u telu

to trigger an immune response,

da aktivira imuni odgovor,

protecting us from viruses without ever experiencing an infection.

štiteći nas od vurisa, a da prethodno nismo imali infekciju.

And in the future, this approach might be able to treat new diseases

Moguće je da će ovaj pristup ubuduće biti pogodan da leči nove bolesti

almost as quickly as they emerge.

ubrzo čim se one pojave.

So how do these revolutionary vaccines work?

Pa, kako ove revolucionarne vakcine deluju?

The key ingredient is in the name.

Ključni sastojak je u imenu.

mRNA, or messenger ribonucleic acid, is a naturally occurring molecule

iRNK, ili informaciona RNK je molekul koji se prirodno javlja

that encodes the instructions for producing proteins.

i koji kodira instrukcije za proizvodnju proteina.

When our cells process mRNA, a part of the cell called the ribosome

Kada naše ćelije obrađuju iRNK, deo ćelije koji se zove ribozom

translates and follows these instructions to build the encoded protein.

prevodi i prati ove instrukcije kako bi izgradio kodirani protein.

The mRNA in these vaccines works in exactly the same way,

iRNK u ovim vakcinama deluje na isti način,

but scientists use the molecule to safely introduce our body to a virus.

ali naučnici koriste molekul kako bi bezbedno izložili naše telo virusu.

First, researchers encode trillions of mRNA molecules with the instructions

Prvo naučnici kodiraju bilione iRNK molekula sa instrukcijama

for a specific viral protein.

za određeni virusni protein.

This part of the virus is harmless by itself,

Ovaj deo virusa nije štetan sam po sebi,

but helpful for training our body’s immune response.

ali pomaže uvežbavanju našeg imunog odgovora.

Then, they inject those molecules into a nanoparticle

Onda ubrizgaju te molekule u nanočestice

roughly 1,000 times smaller than the average cell.

otprilike 1000 puta manje od obične ćelije.

This nanoparticle is made of lipids,

Ova nanočestica je napravljena od lipida,

the same type of fatty material that forms the membrane around our cells.

a to je ista vrsta masne materije koja gradi membranu oko naših ćelija.

But these lipids have been specially engineered

Ali ovi lipidi su posebno izgrađeni

to protect the mRNA on its journey through the body

kako bi zaštitili iRNK na putu kroz telo

and assist its entry into the cell.

i pomogli njenom ulasku u ćeliju.

Lastly, the final ingredients are added: sugars and salt

Na kraju se dodaju poslednji sastojci: šećeri i so

to help keep the nanoparticles intact until they reach their destination.

kako bi nanočestice ostale netaknute sve dok ne dođu do svog odredišta.

Before use, the vaccine is kept at a temperature of -20 to -80 degrees Celsius

Pre upotrebe, vakcina se čuva na temperaturi od -20 do -80 stepeni

to ensure none of the components break down.

kako se nijedna od komponenti ne bi raspala.

Once injected, the nanoparticles disperse and encounter cells.

Kada se ubrizgaju, nanočestice se rasprše i susreću sa ćelijama.

The lipid coating on each nanoparticle fuses with the lipid membrane of a cell

Lipidni omotač na svakoj nanočestici se spaja sa lipidnom membranom ćelije

and releases the mRNA to do its work.

i oslobađa iRNK da odradi svoj posao.

At this point, we should note that while the vaccine is delivering

U ovom trenutku, treba da znamo da iako vakcina dostavlja

viral genetic material into our cells,

virusni genetski materijal u naše ćelije,

it’s impossible for this material to alter our DNA.

nemoguće je da ovaj materijal izmeni našu DNK.

mRNA is a short-lived molecule

iRNK je molekul kratkog veka

that would need additional enzymes and chemical signals to even access our DNA,

kome bi bili potrebni dodatni enzimi i hemijski signali da dopre do naše DNK,

let alone change it.

a kamoli da je izmeni.

And none of these DNA altering components are present in mRNA vaccines.

I nijedna od ovih komponenti koje menjaju DNK ne postoje u iRNK vakcinama.

Once inside the cell, the ribosome translates the mRNA’s instructions

Kada se nađe u ćeliji, ribozom prevodi instrukcije iRNK

and begins assembling the viral protein.

i počinje da sastavlja virusni protein.

In COVID-19 vaccines, that protein is one of the spikes typically found

U vakcinama za kovid-19, taj protein je jedan od šiljaka koji se obično nalaze

on the virus’s surface.

na površini virusa.

Without the rest of the virus this lone spike is not infectious,

Bez ostalog dela virusa ovaj šiljak nije zarazan,

but it does trigger our immune response.

ali podstiče naš imuni odgovor.

Activating the immune system can be taxing on the body,

Aktiviranje imunog sistema može opteretiti naše telo,

resulting in brief fatigue, fever, and muscle soreness in some people.

pa se javlja malaksalost, groznica, i bol u mišićima kod nekih ljudi.

But this doesn’t mean the recipient is sick—

Ali ovo ne znači da je primalac bolestan—

it means the vaccine is working.

to znači da vakcina deluje.

The body is producing antibodies to fight that viral protein,

Telo stvara antitela da bi se borilo protiv virusnog proteina,

that will then stick around to defend against future COVID-19 infections.

i ovo ostaje u telu da se bori protiv budućih infekcija kovidom-19.

And since this particular protein is likely to be found in most COVID variants,

A kako se ovaj određeni protein može naći u većini varijanata kovida,

these antibodies should reduce the threat of catching new strains.

ova antitela mogu da umanje opasnost od zaražavanja novim sojevima.

This approach offers significant advantages over previous vaccines.

Ovaj pristup pruža značajne prednosti u odnosu na prethodne vakcine.

Traditional vaccines contain weakened versions of live viruses

Tradicionalne vakcine sadrže oslabljene verzije živih virusa

or amputated sections of a virus,

ili odsečene delove virusa,

both of which required time intensive research to prepare

od kojih oboje zahtevaju iscrpno istraživanje za pripremu

and unique chemical treatments to safely inject.

i jedinstvene hemijske postupke za bezbedno ubrizgavanje.

But mRNA vaccines don’t actually contain any viral particles,

Ali iRNK vakcine u stvari ne sadrže nikakve virusne čestice,

so they don’t have to be built from scratch to safely adjust each virus.

tako da se ne moraju praviti nanovo da se bezbedno prilagode svakom virusu.

In fact, every mRNA vaccine could have roughly the same list of ingredients.

U stvari, svaka iRNK vakcina može otprilike imati isti spisak sastojaka.

Imagine a reliable, robustly tested vaccine that can treat any disease

Zamislite pouzdanu, opsežno testiranu vakcinu koja može da leči svaku bolest

by swapping out a single component.

zamenom samo jedne komponente.

To treat a new illness, researchers would identify the right viral protein,

Za lečenje nove bolesti, istraživači treba da prepoznaju pravi virusni protein,

encode it into mRNA,

da ga kodiraju u iRNK,

and then swap that mRNA into the existing vaccine platform.

i onda da zamene tu iRNK u već postojeću platformu vakcine.

This could make it possible to develop new vaccines in weeks,

Ovo bi omogućilo razvoj novih vakcina za nekoliko nedelja,

giving humanity a flexible new tool in the never-ending fight against disease.

dajući čovečanstvu fleksibilni novi alat u večnoj borbi protiv bolesti.