Explore how COVID-19 vaccine works: An augmented reality journey into the body
In the race to produce a COVID-19 vaccine, scientists turned to a new technology involving our body's own genetic process.
Inside our cells, DNA produces RNA that produces proteins. The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines transport RNA in a lipid or fat membrane to our cells via the vaccine. That RNA then instructs our cells to produce a protein like the one found on the surface of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19.
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Our immune system recognizes the virus's protein as an invader and produces antibodies to block the protein from proliferating in a future infection.
Jason McLellan, with teams at the University of Texas and National Institutes of Health, helped develop this new vaccine science. He guided work on this explainer, in augmented reality, of how the vaccines work.
See a full interactive story about the RNA technology within the Augmented Reality section of the Paste BN app. To access "New COVID Vaccine science":
- Download the latest version of the Paste BN app on your Android or iOS AR-capable device.
- Open the app, and look for Augmented Reality in Sections at the bottom of your screen.