Riding In Cars With Researchers

Hello, I'm Dr. Jeff Kingsley and welcome to another edition of Riding in Cars with Researchers. Let's talk about vaccine research! Traditional VaccinesThe vaccines that you and I have both received since childhood are derived from actual viruses or bacteria; they're derived from the actual thing that infects people. And they come in two basic forms. One is a little bit safer than the other, but they're both effective.  Right now we are exploring an entirely new realm of vaccine research that is incredibly exciting, where we are in an era of genetics, the actual genetic code that could tell your body to make a very specific antibody to a very specific protein without you ever experiencing any exposure to the actual virus or bacteria. So in COVID-19 research right now, we are doing that. How does DNA Play a Part?We all remember learning about DNA in school - it's our genetic code. And we also have RNA in our bodies. RNA reads the DNA, and then it shuttles it to the machinery in your bod