Attenuation: How Scientists Make Live Vaccines
A live, attenuated vaccine introduces a weakened version of the virus that vaccine aims to protect against. Scientists create these weakened versions by forcing the viruses to grow in a type of cell in which they are not used to growing. By forcing the virus to grow over and over in a different type of cell, like a chick cell, the virus adapts to the new environment. Now, when the adapted virus is given as a vaccine, it is not as good at infecting human cells, so our bodies only make a limited number of viruses — enough to create immunity, but not enough to make us sick.
Another way scientists make vaccines is using recombinant DNA technology. Watch the animation, “Using Genetic Engineering to Make Vaccines,” to learn more: • Using Genetic Engineering to Make Vac... .
Animation created by and for the Vaccine Makers Project.
The Vaccine Makers Project gratefully acknowledges the ongoing collaboration and partnership with XVIVO, creator of medical animations and scientific media: https://xvivo.com.
Copyright © 2016, Medical History Pictures, Inc. All rights reserved.
The Vaccine Makers Project (VMP) is the classroom-based program of the Vaccine Education Center at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (VEC at CHOP). The Center’s team is composed of scientists, physicians, mothers and fathers devoted to the study and prevention of infectious diseases. The Center was launched in October 2000 to provide accurate, comprehensive and up-to-date information about vaccines and the diseases they prevent. The VMP program is committed to public education about vaccine science via scientifically supported, historically accurate, and emotionally compelling content.
Access the VMP’s free classroom materials: http://www.VaccineMakers.org.
Find information and resources related to vaccines and their safety: http://vaccine.chop.edu.
Learn more about the award-winning documentary for which the original animations were created. The documentary tells the compelling story of one of the world’s most accomplished scientists, Maurice Hilleman: http://www.HillemanFilm.com.
