After learning about a little bit about proteins and DNA in class last week, I found an article about how researchers are finding new ways to improve vaccinations. Instead of inserting a weaker live or dead virus into a person to create immunity, scientists want to use DNA vaccines, which would use the DNA to produce proteins against the virus, resulting in faster immunity.
It disproves common ideology that cells shut down when foreign DNA is introduced. With the right type of DNA, cells can react very differently than expected. This would also improve other treatments like gene therapy for Parkinson’s, hemophilia, leukemia, and other serious illnesses. This kind of therapy could improve specific protein production in a variety of cells, leading to further research and cures.
http://www.utexas.edu/news/2015/03/05/protein-boostergene-therapy/
The DNA vaccine would certainly be faster than a normal vaccine once it is injected, but I wonder if it would take much longer to develop a new DNA vaccine for each disease than to isolate the disease as is done in vaccines with dead viruses in them?
This is really interesting, Claire! I’m curious how a DNA vaccine would work for something like the flu that has a different form each season which is why each year the vaccine is different. Did you come across anything like that? Since the DNA vaccine would result in a quicker immunity would it be okay to have a different DNA vaccine each flu season?