DR MICHAEL MOSLEY reveals simple steps that can make it more effective

The· COVID-19 Vaccines deployed throughout the UK are a modern miracle. It is strange that such a safe and effective vaccine was manufactured, tested and delivered in such a record time. This is a true victory in science and we hope that our lives will soon return to normal.

But as remarkable as the speed and efficiency with which these vaccines were produced are the brand new technologies behind some that have been set up to transform the fight against other infectious diseases and even cancer.

I first saw the power of these new vaccines last March when I spoke with Professor Robin Chatok, who is responsible for mucosal infections and immunity at Imperial College. London, For the movie I was making about Covid-19.

The Covid Vaccine is a modern miracle and we hope our lives will soon return to normal.

Professor Chatok, just above the room in Paddington’s St Mary’s Hospital lab, just above the room where Sir Alexander Fleming discovered that a fungus called penicillin could kill bacteria almost 100 years ago, he wants to use. To Covid who showed me a refrigerator with a new type of vaccine I was thinking of.

Vaccines are usually made from dead or weakened strains of the targeted virus.

When infused, it tricks the immune system into thinking that it is under attack, giving the body valuable time to prepare its defenses before it is actually attacked.

The approach used by Professor Chatok is very different. He uses a short genetic material called mRNA (messenger RNA) instead of the actual virus. It contains the code that the virus uses to create club-shaped spikes on the surface.

The mRNA vaccine works by triggering the body to begin producing large copies of harmless club-shaped spikes.

It stimulates the immune system to produce many Covid-specific antibodies and killer T cells (and to reassure those who are worried about this, these vaccines have nothing to do with genetic engineering. They are unlikely to change your DNA).

Two of the three UK-approved vaccines, the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines, are based on this mRNA technology.

Imperial vaccine trials have unfortunately been hampered by the success of these other vaccines, but Professor Statok hopes to run them in other countries.

But, as he recently told me, the great thing about mRNA vaccines is that they are not only safe and effective, but they also allow you to quickly “fine-tune” your current vaccine if the coronavirus mutates.

Professor Shattock believes that these mRNA vaccines will be a powerful new weapon against Covid-19 as well as a variety of other illnesses, including influenza, tuberculosis, HIV, and cancer.

In addition to fighting infections, one of the important roles of the immune system is to find and destroy cancer cells. The problem is that some cancers avoid detection until it’s too late.

However, mRNA technology allows scientists to biopsy a patient’s cancer and identify the gene responsible for the “mutated” protein found in the disease. Once these genes have been identified, use chemical boosters to prepare the mRNA vaccine. , Activates the immune system to seek out and destroy tumors.

If it sounds a bit futuristic, it’s actually already done. In 2017, researchers at BioNTech, the manufacturer of the Pfizer Covid vaccine, reported an early human trial using this approach in 13 patients with malignant melanoma who all showed signs of improvement. Did. One of the 52-year-old American men whose cancer had spread to the liver was reported to have said, “My tumor has begun to disappear in front of me.”

It’s just the beginning, but it’s hoped that the war with Covid-19 will create a breakthrough and eventually improve lives.

Give the vaccine va-va-vooM

In the meantime, what, if any, can you do to ensure you get the best protection when you get a Covid jab?

Since the vaccine is new, it’s not yet clear if lifestyle changes will help, but based on research on the flu vaccine, you can try the following strategies:

1 If you are overweight or obese, try to lose a few inches. A study published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2017 found that obese adults vaccinated against the flu are twice as likely to get the flu as people with a healthy body mass index (BMI). I did.

If you put too much weight around your hips, your immune system will be less effective. (It is worth emphasizing that the Covid vaccine trial shows that obese people have a high degree of protection.)

2 Increase your intake of prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are fiber-rich foods that nourish the “good bacteria” in the intestines. These include kidney beans, lentils, garlic, onions, and many vegetables.

Probiotics are live bacteria found primarily in fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, and natural yogurt.

A review of a study published in the journal Nutrients in 2017 found that taking prebiotics and probiotics before vaccination almost doubled the number of people who subsequently developed protective levels of antibodies.

Check out instagram.com/drclarebailey for a simple recipe to increase good bacteria.

3 Let’s sleep soundly. Last year’s study at the University of California found that healthy volunteers who slept the least the night before being vaccinated against the flu had the lowest levels of antibodies to the flu in the months that followed.

This is because during sleep, the body produces many important elements of the immune system, such as antibodies and killer T cells.

Four Please move your arm. A study from the University of Birmingham a few years ago showed that people who did this hours before the flu shot showed a stronger immune response. For unknown reasons, I’m going to do push-ups and other push-ups before the jab.

Five Quit smoking. Many studies suggest that smoking may actually reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine – probably because of its effects on the immune system.

Quarantine hotels are a bad idea … and I should know

I was surprised to hear that the government is seriously considering the introduction of quarantine hotels similar to New Zealand and Australia to reduce the threat of coronavirus variants invading the United Kingdom.

I think this is a really bad idea. For starters, I think it’s too late to stop the new variants from sneaking in.

One of the things we’ve learned from the last decade is that the virus is moving rapidly and often appears to be far ahead of us (until a new vaccine is paid for it). ..

Closing borders and using quarantine hotels works well in countries such as Australia and New Zealand, but the virus is too prevalent here to do this.

Also, in terms of mental health, there is a big downside to asking you to stay in a small room out of the sun for a long time.

Having recently spent two weeks with my wife Claire at an Australian quarantine hotel, I can be confident that it will be very difficult.

You can’t choose which hotel or room, and pay between £ 1,500 and £ 2,500 for the suspicious pleasure of being trapped 24 hours a day (our room has a brick wall visible). T). I suffered from mild claustrophobia and was sometimes uncertain if I could tolerate it.

The worst thing is that you can’t get out of the room with a short walk (which is obviously tough for the 72 tennis stars in one of those hotels in Melbourne before the Australian Open). ..

A friend who stayed at one of these hotels said he had heard someone screaming for hours in the next room. When she rang the reception, she was told not to worry — “they are probably just having a panic attack.”

If you find yourself in this situation, you need a really calm and reassuring companion like Claire.