Name: 輝瑞和摩德納冠狀病毒疫苗裡到底有什麼？ (What’s Actually in the Pfizer and Moderna Coronavirus Vaccines?)
Uploaded: 2021-02-10T18:11:29.000Z
Duration: 6 min 45 s

As the COVID-19 vaccines roll out around the world, there is plenty of discussion about what is IN these vaccines.

隨著COVID-19疫苗在全球範圍內的推廣，人們對這些疫苗中的內容進行了大量的討論。

These are the ingredient lists for both the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines.

這些是輝瑞/生物技術和Moderna疫苗的成分表。

Some of these may be really unfamiliar, or familiar in a confusing way—like...sugar?

其中有些可能真的很陌生，或者熟悉中帶著迷茫，比如......糖？

So, let's go one by one and see why they're all in there.

那麼，讓我們一個個去看看他們為什麼都在裡面。

And don't worry, none of them are microchips.

而且不用擔心，他們都不是微芯片。

The key, active ingredient in both Moderna's and Pfizer's vaccine is messenger RNA, what we call mRNA.

Moderna和輝瑞的疫苗中的關鍵、活性成分都是信使RNA，也就是我們所說的mRNA。

mRNA is a molecule containing the genetic code that tells your cells how to make ONE kind of protein.

mRNA是一個包含遺傳密碼的分子，它告訴你的細胞如何製造一種蛋白質。

That's the spike protein on the surface of the virus.

Your cells read those instructions and then make that spike protein—which can't infect you on its own—

你的細胞讀取這些指令，然後製造那個尖峰蛋白--它本身不能感染你--。

and your immune system learns how to recognize it.

你的免疫系統就會學會如何識別它。

You start to build an army of antibodies, those are immune proteins that bind to the REAL virus

你開始建立一個抗體的軍隊，那些是免疫蛋白，與真正的病毒結合。

Then, after a while, your cells get rid of that mRNA, that genetic material, but your body remembers how to defend itself.

然後，過了一段時間，你的細胞擺脫了mRNA，遺傳物質，但你的身體記得如何保護自己。

It's like showing the picture of a bad guy around town so everyone knows who to look out for if they ever show up.

這就像在鎮上展示一個壞人的照片，這樣每個人都知道如果他們出現的話，要注意誰。

Now, we can't just inject straight mRNA into someone's body,

現在，我們不能直接把mRNA注射到別人的體內。

because your body is actually really good at chewing up and getting rid of foreign genetic material

因為你的身體其實很善於咀嚼和清除外來的遺傳物質。

That's where the other vaccine ingredients come in.

Both Pfizer and Moderna contain a variety of lipids.

輝瑞和摩德納都含有多種脂質。

The word 'lipid' is basically just the scientific name for a fat or fat-like molecule.

'脂質'這個詞基本上只是脂肪或類脂肪分子的學名。

You can even see the word cholesterol in the lipid list for both vaccines, same as the kind that's in your body naturally.

你甚至可以在這兩種疫苗的脂質表裡看到膽固醇這個詞，和你身體裡自然存在的那種膽固醇一樣。

All of these lipids together form tiny little protective bubbles around the mRNA.

所有這些脂質一起在mRNA周圍形成微小的保護泡。

One of the lipids sticks to the mRNA, others form the structure of the bubble

其中一種脂質粘在mRNA上，其他脂質形成氣泡的結構

and help it cross your cell membrane into your cells where it can be used,

並幫助它穿過你的細胞膜進入你的細胞，在那裡它可以被使用。

and other lipids keep the bubbles from clumping together.

In both of these vaccines, this whole complex is called a lipid nanoparticle, or LNP.

在這兩種疫苗中，這整個複合物被稱為脂質納米粒子，或LNP。

Think of it like, if the mRNA is the letter, with all of the information, the LNP is the envelope you put the letter in

想象一下，如果mRNA是一封信，包含了所有的資訊，那麼LNP就是你放信的信封

And although LNPs are currently the most advanced way of getting vaccine mRNA into a cell so it can do its job,

而雖然LNPs是目前最先進的將疫苗mRNA送入細胞，使其發揮作用的方法。

these nanoparticles may potentially be what's causing allergic reactions.

這些納米顆粒可能是潛在的 什麼是導致過敏反應。

Actually, just one lipid component of the nanoparticle, a form of polyethylene glycol,

其實，只是納米粒子的一種脂質成分，一種聚乙二醇的形式。

PEGs are super common in everything from laxatives to cosmetics,

PEGs在從瀉藥到化妝品中都超級常見。

but some people may have an immune reaction to them,

但有些人可能對它們有免疫反應。

It may actually be that not the RNA vaccine itself, but the substances that are encapsulating it,

其實可能不是RNA疫苗本身，而是封裝它的物質。

the fats and oils that are used that may actually be generating a very important immune response.

所使用的油脂，實際上可能正在產生非常重要的免疫反應。

Moving on to the next category of ingredients, we've got salts!

接下來是下一類食材，我們有鹽!

These help balance the pH of the whole mixture, making it the same pH as your body.

這些有助於平衡整個混合物的pH值，使其與身體的pH值相同。

Salts balance pH by redistributing charges.

鹽類通過重新分配電荷來平衡pH值。

A basic salt like sodium acetate helps balance out any acidity.

像醋酸鈉這樣的基礎鹽有助於平衡任何酸度。

This group of chemicals in the Pfizer vaccine when taken together is known as PBS,

輝瑞疫苗中的這組化學物質一起服用時被稱為PBS。

and I've actually used it in the lab myself to keep cells I'm studying alive and well and pH balanced.

實際上我在實驗室裡也用過它來保持我所研究的細胞的活力和pH值平衡。

In both lists you'll see this familiar ingredient: sucrose.

在這兩份名單中，你會看到這個熟悉的成分：蔗糖。

Yup, exactly the same kind as you have in your baking cupboard, but extra pure, of course.

是的，和你的烘焙櫃裡的那種，但特別純正，當然。

And honestly, between the sugar and the cholesterol, these vaccines actually sound kinda tasty.

說實話，在糖和膽固醇之間，這些疫苗其實聽起來還挺好吃的。

But the sucrose isn't in there because it tastes yummy...it's there to keep everything stable at really cold temperatures.

但蔗糖並不是因為好吃才放進去的......它是為了在真正的低溫下保持一切穩定。

You wonder, "Why were those RNA vaccines stored at the temperature of dry ice?"

你不禁要問："為什麼那些RNA疫苗要在乾冰的溫度下儲存？"

It's because RNA has a problem with degradation. With the newer formulations, perhaps not.

這是因為RNA有降解的問題。對於新的配方，也許不是。

And the way they're packaged may also protect them.

而它們的包裝方式也可能保護它們。

But having worked with RNA, you know that if you do make a mistake and there's contamination,

但處理過RNA的工作 你知道如果你犯了錯誤，有汙染的話

the RNA very rapidly can be turned into pieces. And you don't want that.

核糖核酸很快就會變成碎片。而你不希望這樣

Sugar essentially packs in around all the proteins and lipids in the other vaccine ingredients,

糖類基本上是圍繞著其他疫苗成分中的所有蛋白質和脂質進行包裝。

keeping them from losing their shape and therefore, their properties.

使它們不至於失去形狀，從而失去其特性。

Think of the sugar kind of like molecular packing peanuts that protect the other stuff in the vaccine

把糖想象成像分子包裝的花生一樣，保護疫苗中的其他東西

from cracking under the icy cold temperatures required by the mRNA.

以免在mRNA所需的冰冷溫度下開裂。

And the cool thing about how cold these vaccines are—get it, cool?!—is that they don't need any preservatives.

而且這些疫苗的涼爽之處--明白了嗎，涼爽嗎！--就是不需要任何防腐劑。

Because everything is kept at such cold temperatures, nothing funky is gonna grow in these vaccine vials—

因為所有的東西都保存在這麼低的溫度下, 沒有什麼奇怪的東西會在這些疫苗瓶裡生長--

the only thing needed to keep them from going bad is ice.

唯一能讓它們不變質的就是冰塊。

And that's all the ingredients on the list!

When it comes to actually USING these shots,

the Pfizer vaccine needs to be mixed with saline right before it's injected, to dilute it to the correct concentration—

輝瑞的疫苗在注射前需要與生理鹽水混合，以稀釋到正確的濃度--。

The problem is, after you add the saline, the vaccine ingredients only have six hours before they start to degrade—

問題是，在你加入生理鹽水後，疫苗成分只有六個小時的時間才會開始降解----。

This is where we see how differences in ingredients can make for differences in application.

這就是我們看到的成分的不同會造成應用的差異。

For example, Moderna's vaccine doesn't have to be kept QUITE as cold as Pfizer's

例如，Moderna公司的疫苗不必像輝瑞公司的疫苗那樣低溫保存。

because its lipid nanoparticles are more resilient.

因為它的脂質納米顆粒更有彈性。

This, and the fact that there's no dilution step, makes Moderna's a little simpler on the logistical level…

再加上沒有稀釋的步驟，使得摩德納的在物流層面上更加簡單...

I hope learning more about these ingredients has made you feel more comfortable and empowered

希望瞭解更多關於這些成分的資訊，讓你感覺更舒服，更有力量。

mRNA vaccines are new in the sense that we've never used them before, but the technology has been around for years,

mRNA疫苗是一種新的疫苗，我們從來沒有使用過，但這項技術已經存在多年。

and lots of research has gone into making it work… we just haven't ever needed it—or at least not as urgently—until now.

很多研究都是為了讓它發揮作用......我們只是從來沒有需要過它--或者至少沒有那麼迫切，直到現在。

And their very nature makes them hugely exciting, not only for COVID, but for tackling many other diseases in the future too.

它們的性質使它們非常令人興奮，不僅對COVID來說是如此，對未來解決許多其他疾病也是如此。