The Strategist

UK study shows effectiveness of AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccine mechanism



10/23/2020 - 06:40



A British study showed the effectiveness of the genetic mechanism of the COVID-19 vaccine, developed by the University of Oxford in conjunction with the British-Swedish pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca.



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This was reported on Thursday on the University of Bristol's website, which indicates that the article about the independent research conducted by its staff only exists as a preprint and has not yet received the scientific reviews required for its publication.

Bristol University explains that the aim of scientists was to determine how often and accurately the genetic programme on which the drug is based is carried out. Researchers at Oxford University created their vector vaccine based on a modified chimpanzees adenovirus, which is incapable of self-replication and contains part of the genetic code of the new coronavirus. 

Once inside the cells, the modified adenovirus forces them to produce large amounts of S-proteins (key components of the coronavirus structure), preparing the immune system to fight the pathogen.

The university reports that using new methods of protein analysis and gene sequences, researchers have studied thousands of genetic instructions copied by cells, which are used to produce S-proteins, as well as the S-proteins themselves. It was concluded that the necessary proteins are produced in large quantities and with high precision, which explains the strong immune response of the body, as previously reported by researchers at Oxford University.

source: bristol.ac.uk