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The secret of vaccine creation: How to use sequence transmission to reduce the pathogenicity of the virus?
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of vaccine research and development has become increasingly prominent. As scientists try to combat various viruses, the technology of sequence transmission is also receiving increasing attention. This technology provides new ideas and methods for vaccine development, and also allows us to gain a deeper understanding of the evolution and transmission mechanism of the virus.
Sequence propagation is a process of repeatedly growing bacteria or viruses by moving the virus to a new environment to observe its evolution.
What is sequence propagation?
Sequence propagation is the process of growing viruses or bacteria in different experimental environments for multiple rounds. Scientists typically do this in a laboratory to watch the pathogen evolve over the course of the experiment. With each round of transmission, viruses and bacteria may change due to mutations, and this change can sometimes be used to study the pathogenicity of viruses.
For vaccine development, sequence propagation can create a vaccine strain that has a less pathogenic pathogen but retains immunogenicity.
Mechanism of sequence propagation
Sequence transmission can occur in vitro (in vitro) or in vivo (in vivo). The in vitro experimental method is to isolate viruses or bacteria, let them grow for a certain period of time, then transfer some samples to a new environment, and then perform the same growth process. In contrast, in vivo experiments involve the pathogen infecting animals, growing within the host, and removing samples to other hosts.
In either scenario, the pathogen may mutate over time, showing clear differences between the original pathogen and its variants.
Historical background
The technology of sequence propagation began in the 19th century. Famous scientist Louis Pasteur used this technology when developing a rabies vaccine. Pasteur's work pointed to the attenuation of pathogens, which involves spreading them among different hosts so that they become less pathogenic.
Pasteur obtained an attenuated rabies virus by transplanting brain tissue from infected animals into healthy animals.
Application in vaccines
Using sequence propagation techniques, scientists can reduce the pathogenicity of viruses and create live vaccines. These live vaccines are generally more effective than inactivated vaccines. However, certain risks arise as the virus may reverse-evolve and become contagious again.
The long-term effectiveness and effectiveness of live vaccines make them play an important role in vaccine research and development, but in reality, their potential safety issues also need to be considered.
Current research and experiments
Currently, many studies use sequence transmission to study pathogenic changes, adaptive evolution and drug resistance development of viruses. For example, some research teams applied sequence propagation to the SARS virus with the goal of making the virus lethal in animal models for further study.
During research on the H5N1 influenza virus, scientists were surprised to find that the virus was able to spread from person to person after only a few sequences of transmission.
Public health implications
Sequence transmission is not limited to vaccine development, but also reflects the potential opportunities for pathogens to spread between different hosts. These findings provide important insights into how to improve public health in high-endemic areas, while also highlighting the importance of good hygiene practices as they inhibit the spread of highly pathogenic pathogens.
Ultimately, during the epidemic, can we find more effective ways to prevent virus mutation and spread to protect public health?
