Status Updates From Vaxxers

Amazing tale of how the Oxford-Astrazeneca vaccine was rapidly created to save millions of lives during the COVID-19 pandemic. For anybody interested in understanding how immunity works, what vaccines are made of, and how they are made, the authors also explain it very well.

The use of HEK293 cells, derived from an aborted foetus in 1970s, during the manufacture of monoclonal antibody treatment used in trumps recovery was only accepted by the religious far right once the president received them. Fickle bastards had once criticised the use of this cell line because of their stance on women’s rights

‘Rapid method’, a way to prep a vaccine without knowing the genetic sequence of the target. New technology - personalised cancer treatment. Tumours contain cells with mutations, identify the mutations, target the cell, kill the tumour. Useful during pandemic outbreak

How was the vaccine developed so quickly? Funding. Generally speaking, vaccine development can take several years before clinical trials begin. Applications can take a year to be approved and each stage must be complete before the next can begin