Nowadays, most people know what DNA is.
But it can be confusing to keep track of how scientists have
been using the latest knowledge of genetics to fight COVID-19.
We have both tests and vaccines for COVID- 19 based on our understanding of genetics,
and it’s important to understand why lab scientists and physicians
are so confident that they work.
So let me break it down for you.
As you probably know, DNA contains instructions like lines of computer code.
And all living things use their own DNA code to build the proteins
and cells they need to stay healthy.
But there’s also a helper molecule that works closely with DNA,
and it’s called RNA.
And among other things, RNA helps our cells translate
the instructions that are contained in the DNA.
RNA molecules that transfer this information are called messenger RNA,
or we just call it mRNA for short.
In fact, the virus that causes COVID-19 actually uses RNA as its genetic material.
And lots of viruses work like this,
including the common cold, the polio virus, and many others.
Now the way some vaccines use the virus’s genetics probably sounds a little exotic.
And it’s true that the technology for creating the vaccines is relatively new.
However, it has proven to be extremely reliable.
Now, getting a vaccine is not like getting a medication.
Many drugs actually change how the body functions.
But vaccines don’t do that.
They use the completely natural process of our immune system
to fight the virus by teaching our immune cells how to defeat it.
To teach the immune system, vaccines like the Pfizer and the Moderna vaccine,
they use a fragment of the virus’s RNA.
But only a small part of the RNA that’s used to make
a very specific part of the virus.
Let me explain.
So, a complete virus contains all of the instructions
for the virus to replicate inside our bodies and cause disease.
But scientists have found a way to separate the instructions
from the virus itself and isolate only the part of it that makes
a tiny protein on the surface of the virus called the spike protein.
That’s like the virus’s armor.
All by itself, that armor – that spike protein – isn’t harmful.
However, as long as our immune system can recognize that armor – that spike protein –
– our bodies can quickly detect and defeat the real virus when we
come into contact with it.
If that sounds like we’re tricking the virus—that’s exactly right!
Together, the vaccines and our immune system
can stop the virus from infecting us.
Scientists have been using the same type of knowledge about genetics
to test for the virus all along.
The majority of tests that are used to diagnose COVID-19
also use the virus’s RNA.
These are known as the PCR tests, and the tests are very accurate.
And even if there’s only a tiny amount of the virus present
in your sample, the test will detect it.
Just like the vaccine uses a piece of the virus’s RNA
to teach our immune system to look for it and fight it,
laboratories can use PCR tests to search for
pieces of the virus’s RNA in test swabs.
In both cases, our knowledge of genetics is like a window
into how our bodies, and the virus, actually work.
And we know that knowledge is empowering.
It’s enabled us to test for the virus,
and now, to defeat it with the vaccines.