![]() ![]() The cell breaks the mRNA up into small harmless pieces. The cells make copies of the spike protein and the mRNA is quickly degraded (within a few days). The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines work by introducing mRNA (messenger RNA) into your muscle cells. So antibodies created against the spike protein won't harm your body, they will only target coronavirus. The spike protein is unique to SARS-CoV-2 – it doesn't look like other proteins your body makes. Its location on the outside of the virus makes it so the immune system can recognize it easily. The spike protein is located on the outside of a coronavirus and is how SARS-CoV-2 (the coronavirus) enters human cells. Why do they use spike proteins?įor COVID-19 vaccines, all of the approved vaccines so far used the spike protein. There is no evidence that any mRNA or protein accumulates in any organ. ![]() Here we break down the data to show where mRNA vaccines (and spike proteins) travel in the body. Some have expressed concern that the spike protein or other parts of the mRNA vaccines build up in the body, particularly in the ovaries or the brain. When it encounters the virus or bacteria in the real world it mounts a strong immune response preventing or decreasing the severity of infection. While the piece introduced by the vaccine rapidly fades away, your body's immune system remembers what it saw. We are left with several hypotheses and more questions, but with a clear direction.Vaccines generally work by introducing a piece of a virus or bacteria into your body so you can develop long-lasting immunity to the pathogen. Indeed, presence of viral proteins has been associated with hyperinflammatory responses such as in severe COVID-19 or the notorious multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). Given myocarditis also occurs after other vaccines, it is likely that the presence of circulating spike is a biomarker rather than the causal agent. The implications of this finding are unclear, since it is yet unknown how the spike protein evades cleavage or clearance, especially in the setting of a normal adaptive immune response, or whether in itself is pathogenic. Patients who developed postvaccine myocarditis had persistently elevated free spike protein in circulation, which correlated with evidence of cardiac injury and inflammatory cytokines. In summary, the data show that adaptive and T-cell immunity responses were normal in recipients of mRNA vaccines, both with and without myocarditis. The investigators used a thorough approach in teasing out the various aspects that could underlie vaccine-induced myocarditis. This is a great example of a study with mostly negative findings which are, however, insightful. However, inflammatory cytokine levels were altered, with elevations in interleukin (IL)-8, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, IL-10, interferon-gamma and IL-1-beta, reflecting innate inflammatory activation. There were no differences in antibody levels (anti-spike, anti-receptor binding protein, immunoglobulin M, IgG, IgA, or anti-Fc), auto-antibodies, or antibodies to common respiratory pathogens. With regard to T-cell responses, there were no major differences in various T-cell subsets (effector, effector memory, spike-specific, interferon-gamma and degranulating). Levels of free spike did not differ between males and females, and remained elevated for weeks in a subset of patients with repeated blood collections. Levels of full-length spike protein (33.9 ± 22.4 pg/mL), unbound by antibodies were markedly elevated in the plasma of individuals with postvaccine myocarditis, whereas no free spike was detected in asymptomatic vaccinated control subjects (unpaired t-test p < 0.0001). Total neutrophil count was higher in patients with myocarditis compared to those without, albeit remaining in the normal range. All patients had elevated cardiac troponin T levels (median 260 ng/L) and C-reactive protein levels (29.75 mg/L). The cohort of myocarditis patients consisted of mostly males (n = 13 of 16) who experienced myocarditis after the second dose (n = 12 of 16), within the first week after vaccination (median of 4 days). ![]()
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