Wednesday, February 17, 2021

How a COVID vaccine is made

It's fascinating how many tightly-controlled steps are needed to manufacture vaccine: 
"...hundreds of gallons of an amber-colored solution containing specially designed E. coli bacteria. Using a process called biosynthesis, these bacteria churn out trillions of the DNA plasmids over the course of two weeks."
"...[Purified...linearized...] DNA material is tested to ensure... nothing extraneous in the purified mixture and the DNA strands have to all be exact copies."
"...the linear strands of DNA are turned into RNA in 40-liter vessels full of enzymes and chemicals over the course of three to four days...the body's immune system can "see" these foreign [mRNA] proteins and begins creating antibodies to fight them."
"the mRNA must be separated from the liquid it was created in and the excess chemicals used to make it."
"All this happens in an extremely high-tech manufacturing suite. The air is filtered, the equipment constantly tested and all employees wear head-to-toe cleanroom coveralls"
"...the fragile strands of mRNA are enclosed in tiny balls of fat known as lipid nanoparticles...Without the balls of fat, the vaccine would disintegrate before it could deliver its payload."
"...Quality control and testing take weeks. Each lot of vaccine is tested to ensure product quality – identity, potency, purity and safety."
"...When the FDA licenses a vaccine, they license the building, they license the product and they license the process"

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