Immunization is a process that aims to protect the body from a variety of microorganisms by using antibodies.
Smallpox is a natural disease, which is believed to have appeared around 10,000 BC. Such is the story of the creation of the concept of vaccine in the human mind. People at the time noticed that if the scabs of a smallpox patient's wound was rubbed against the skin of a healthy person, a certain amount of immunity could be created. The process by which the immune system is created in the human body is the process of active immunization. Although such methods have been applied in different ways around the world, it has endangered the lives of many. Similarly, even in the middle of the eighteenth century, it was observed that people who were infected with the cowpox virus were less likely to develop smallpox disease later on. Using this idea, the British scientist Edward Jenner first invented the vaccine in 1796 years. Later, in the late nineteenth century, Louis Pasteur invented a vaccine in 1855 by deactivating the rabies causing virus. Later, using the living and inactive conditions of pathogenic microorganisms, diptheria (1888), plague (1897), tuberculosis (1927), yellow fever (1936), measles (1963), mumps (1968), rubella (1969), chickenpox (1995), Rota virus disease (1998) has been vaccinated. As a result, the number of people suffering from various diseases and deaths has been reduced.
Nowadays biotechnology is playing a key role in vaccine development. This method is used for non-communicable diseases in addition to the previously described diseases. In the past, vaccines have been developed targeting disease-causing microorganisms, but now vaccines are being developed using physical, cellular, and molecular changes. In addition, recombinant nanoparticles and artificial proteins can be used to generate immune response mimicking the natural elements.
Vaccines for the current Covid-19 disease are being developed in accordance with the above method. For example, modern vaccines such as moderna vaccines, pfizer vaccines, and Oxford vaccines have been developed using nucleic acid sequence of spike protein and sinopharm, sinovac and covaxin vaccines have been synthesized using inactived viruses using special chemicals such as beta-propiolactone.
Thus, for the past 200 years, the vaccine has been a part of human life. However, there is a need for change in its development and in the way it is injected to the human body. In addition, with the development of many important and long-lasting vaccines, the invention of the deadly disease of malaria, AIDS, etc., has become a major challenge for the human race. There are even a number of vaccines that need a minus temperature or even lower temperature than that for storage. As the main problem is to reach them all over the world, we have to develop vaccines that can be kept for a long time at a normal temperature or slightly lower than that. In addition, effective vaccination for a variety of emerging diseases is essential in the shortest possible time.
The fact that scientists have been able to develop effective vaccines in a very short time to prevent the spread of Covid-19, seems to suggest that human beings are capable of any goal through social science. We will discuss more about this in the next publication.
References
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK216821/#_NBK216821_pubdet_
- https://www.historyofvaccines.org/timeline/all
- https://www.abpi.org.uk/new-medicines/vaccines/the-future-of-vaccines/#9fc91ae2
