A study has concluded that the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) technology used in some COVID-19 vaccines could be fine-tuned to reduce side effects. While the study suggested refinement of the technology, scientists have said that this doesn’t mean the vaccines already administered are high risk. Professor of Cancer Virology at University of Leeds, Professor Stephen Griffin said that the number of people that have been spared covid driven hospitalisation or death due to vaccines ‘is countless millions.’
COVID-19 mRNA vaccines work by exposing the body’s cells to genetic code from the virus. The body then reads and translates the code using ribosomes, the machinery of the body’s cells. This means the immune system can create antibodies that fight against the virus.
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The study, published in the journal Nature, explained that there is a harmless ‘slip’ in the technology, which causes the ribosomes to read the genetic code slightly wrong. This can unintentionally create extra proteins. While the original vaccine is effective, the study suggests that future mRNA vaccines should use updated coding, as the additional proteins could potentially trigger unwanted immune responses or side effects.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) monitors vaccines in the UK. They say that side effects are mostly minimal, and the benefits of the vaccine outweigh any drawbacks. The most common side effects include a sore arm from the injection, feeling tired and headaches. Professor Griffin said the covid vaccines ‘are now some of the most carefully characterised and extensively used vaccines that have ever been invented, and it would be overtly obvious if this aspect of their biology was causing issues.’
The vaccine was the first of its kind to protect people from COVID-19, with around 53 million people in the UK having received their first dose. It is hoped the mRNA technology could eventually be used to treat other diseases, including cancer.
This winter has seen a huge covid and flu vaccine roll out from the NHS, as part of their winter vaccination programme to ease pressure on hospitals. Over 11 million COVID-19 jabs have been administered, including 61.5% of people 65 and over. The vaccine was the first of its kind to protect people from the virus, and it is hoped the mRNA technology could eventually be used to treat other diseases, including cancer.
Professor Griffin said: ‘It matters that we understand that these events are possible - but it by no means implies that the well-established population-safety record for these vaccines, which have been administered more than 13 billion times since 2021, should be questioned.’