[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7344\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EFive things you need to know about: mRNA vaccine safety\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn trials these vaccines have shown to be at least 94% effective at preventing people from falling ill with Covid-19. But how safe is this new technology? We spoke to Michel Goldman, a professor of immunology and founder of the I3h Institute for Interdisciplinary Innovation in healthcare at the Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. Here are five things to know.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E mRNA vaccine technology is not entirely new\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVaccines\u0026nbsp;such as the inactivated polio vaccine, or most flu vaccines, use inactivated viruses\u0026nbsp;to trigger a person\u2019s immune system to respond to that disease-causing organism. In other vaccines, such as the hepatitis B vaccine, an individual protein made by that organism is injected instead to trigger a similar response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EmRNA vaccines, however, trick the body into making the viral protein itself which, in turn, triggers an immune response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAlthough the COVID-19 vaccines made by Pfizer\/BioNTech are the first mRNA vaccines to complete all clinical trial stages and be licensed for use, the technology has been around for a while.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHuman trials of cancer vaccines using the same mRNA technology have been taking place since at least 2011. \u2018If there was a real problem with the technology, we\u2019d have seen it before now for sure,\u2019 said Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBecause the technology can be deployed extremely rapidly, and clinical trials have been so successful, mRNA platforms will be an important means of preparing for future epidemics, he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col start=\u00222\u0022\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E mRNA vaccines do not alter your DNA\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA concern that some have had about the mRNA vaccines is that they could change people\u2019s DNA. But that idea is \u2018completely false\u2019 and has \u2018no scientific basis\u2019, says Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The (vaccine)\u0026nbsp;mRNA will not enter the nucleus of the cells, where our DNA is.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOnce the injected mRNA enters a human cell, it degrades quickly and only stays in the body for a couple of days.\u0026nbsp;This is why people need two injections to develop the best immune response, he says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The highest risk right now (especially for vulnerable people) is not to be vaccinated.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Michel Goldman, Universit\u00e9 Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col start=\u00223\u0022\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E mRNA vaccines are very specific\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe novel coronavirus, or SARS-CoV-2, has a complex structure, and different parts of the virus trigger the immune system to produce different antibodies to neutralise the virus.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIf an unvaccinated person catches the virus, they will produce antibodies that prevent the virus from entering human cells. They may also generate antibodies that do not have much impact. And in some cases, a person may produce antibodies which actually help the virus enter cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EmRNA vaccines are much more specific. They are designed to only trigger an immune response to the virus\u2019s spike protein, which is just one component of the viral membrane and enables the virus to invade our cells.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ETo be sure this is the case, researchers are carefully monitoring that the vaccine does not trigger an unwanted immune response.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018So far this has not been shown for the (Covid-19) vaccines.\u2019 But it \u2018will remain important to ensure the immune response triggered by the vaccine is focused on the viral spike protein,\u2019 said Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col start=\u00224\u0022\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E Corners were not cut in the clinical trials and approvals process\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EVaccine trials take place in stages, starting with trials on animals, and then three trials on people \u2013 Phase 1, Phase 2 and finally Phase 3.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe Pfizer\/BioNTech vaccine Phase 3 trial involved more than \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.pfizer.com\/news\/press-release\/press-release-detail\/pfizer-and-biontech-conclude-phase-3-study-covid-19-vaccine\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E40,000 people\u003C\/a\u003E. It began in July and will continue to collect efficacy and safety data for another two years.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESafety issues\u0026nbsp;that would affect significant numbers of\u0026nbsp;vaccines mostly appear within two months, Prof. Goldman says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHowever, after a vaccine is given to millions of people, very rare side effects that cannot be anticipated from clinical trials might develop, so researchers and regulators will be keeping a close eye on how the vaccine rollout goes. This will be especially important for Covid-19 vaccines based on innovative technology.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ERegulatory agencies reviewed the data from Covid-19 vaccine trials more quickly than usual by looking at it on a rolling basis rather than only once the trials were complete, but they did not fundamentally change their rules. \u2018I really don\u2019t think that corners were cut in terms of safety,\u2019 said Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe process was faster than usual because researchers had already built an mRNA platform \u2013 a way of getting viral mRNA into the body \u2013 for cancer and other vaccines under trial. It meant this could be put into action as soon as the genomic sequence of the virus was shared.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ECompanies and governments also took the risk of producing large numbers of vaccines even before the the first stages of experimentation had been completed, which meant they were ready to begin\u0026nbsp;large human trials as soon as the results were in.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s a financial risk, because if you were wrong all this is lost. That\u2019s why the risk is shared between the private companies and the governments,\u2019 said Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Col start=\u00225\u0022\u003E\u003Cli\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003E The vaccine triggers an inflammatory response\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/li\u003E\u003C\/ol\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe vaccine partly works by inducing local inflammatory reactions to trigger the immune system. This means that it\u2019s normal for many people to experience pain at the site of the injection and sometimes fever and discomfort for one or two days after the vaccine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is something that has not been advertised enough,\u2019 says Prof. Goldman.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/imperialcollegelondon.app.box.com\/s\/fkikl9va401wo51q0wpciwvokl9zxrlj\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ENovember survey\u003C\/a\u003E in 15 countries found 54% of people were worried about possible side effects from a Covid-19 vaccine.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EOne unwanted response to the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine came to light during the first day of mass vaccination in the UK after two people with a history of significant allergies \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/2020\/dec\/09\/pfizer-covid-vaccine-nhs-extreme-allergy-sufferers-regulators-reaction?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other\u0022\u003Ereacted to the injection\u003C\/a\u003E. The UK regulatory authority \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/article\/idUSKBN28J1D1\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eupdated its advice\u003C\/a\u003E to specify that people with a history of anaphylaxis to medicine or food should not get the shot.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the clinical trials, allergic reactions occurred in 0.63% of people given the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and in 0.5% of people given a placebo.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018My main concern is that people will use (possible side-effects) as an argument not to be vaccinated,\u2019 said Prof. Goldman \u2018The highest risk right now (especially for vulnerable people) is not to be vaccinated.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EProf. Goldman was the first executive director of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, a partnership between the EU and the European pharmaceutical industry to speed up the development of, and access to, innovative medicines.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-z9fjrd-rjxbfmvxhurxl4mrnl0mj5tgb238bzmigbko\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-Z9FjRd-rJXBFmvxhUrxL4mrnL0mj5tgb238BzmIgbko\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]