German biotech company behind the Pfizer Covid-19 jab develops a potential vaccine for multiple sclerosis
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech ... ccine.html
BioNTech is the company behind the Pfizer vaccine which is being used globally
Was approved in the UK on December 2 and given to first person December 8
New jab uses mRNA to stop MS patients' immune systems attacking neurons
Studies in mice show it stopped disease progression and also reversed some loss of motor function
The experts behind the BioNTech coronavirus jab have developed another vaccine which they claim cures multiple sclerosis (MS) in mice.
The new MS vaccine works in a similar way to the coronavirus vaccine, manufactured in conjunction with US pharmaceutical giant Pfizer.
A piece of genetic material known as mRNA is inserted into a person's arm and forces the body's own cells to produce a protein that confers immunity.
In the case of the coronavirus vaccine, this protein mimics the virus's protruding spike, kickstarting the immune system to start making antibodies.
If a person later contracts the coronavirus, the immune system rapidly creates antibodies again and fights the infection before it can take hold or spread.
In the case of the MS vaccine, the mRNA technology stops the body's own immune system from attacking neurons in the brain and spinal cord which prevents the eventual loss of bodily function.
Clinical trials on mice revealed the jab cured the condition, stopped disease progression and restored some motor skills which had already been lost.
The BioNtech coronavirus jab is 95 per cent effective and was the first mRNA vaccine to ever receive approval for human use outside of clinical trials.
It was approved by the MHRA on December 2, given to the first UK patient on December 8 and is now being administered to thousands every day.
Its approval has been hailed as a watershed moment in immunology and experts are hopeful the technology can eradicate more diseases.
mRNA is genetic material which is naturally found in the human body.
It is used by human cells to carry messages and give instructions. DNA's double-helix is split in half, there is a molecular substitution, and it is then sent out of the nucleus and into the cellular cytoplasm to relay the message.
Another part of the cell then reads its genetic sequence — the message — and goes about doing as it is told, which often means making a specific protein.
After providing the blueprint, the mRNA molecule is then destroyed by another part of the cell.
This technology has been in development for decades but has only now reached a point where it is viable for use as a vaccine.