The Whole View, Episode 454: J&J and AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccines
Welcome back to episode 454! (0:28)

This is the next part in a series of shows where Sarah and Stacy discuss the science behind the Covid-19 vaccines.

They strive to present you with all the information available to make an informed decision about whether receiving the vaccine is right for you.

Sarah plans to go through the show with the assumption that listeners have background/base knowledge about vaccines and how they work.

So if you have not yet listened to the previous shows in this series, Sarah highly recommends you do before listening to this episode.

Previous Covid-19 Shows
In episode #440, Sarah and Stacy examined the history of vaccines and the very real statistics on vaccine-induced injury. They also looked at the advances that led to mRNA vaccine technology and the inherent advantages of this platform.

Episode #441 explored the safety and efficacy data from the phase 2/3 clinical trials for both the Pfizer/BioNTech and the Moderna covid-19 vaccines.

In episodes #443 & #444, Sarah and Stacy answered listener FAQ. This included concerns about adverse events, including autoimmune disease, fertility, and antibody-enhanced infection. They also examined safety concerns for pregnancy and children and addressed common myths circulating on the internet.

Stacy and Sarah took a data-driven approach for all four episodes, presenting the science and facts with context, detail, nuance, integrity, compassion, and as objectively as possible.

Fact vs. Opinion on The Whole View
Stacy underlines that they are not here to convince you of a certain mindset or push a vaccine agenda in this show.

Although Stacy and Sarah may share their personal opinions on vaccines, they remind the audience that their opinions are just that - opinions. And what's right for them might not be right for you.

They strive to take this same scientific approach today and next week with the J&J and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines. (Yes! You're getting two more vaccine shows!)

Stacy also reminds listeners of Sarah's credentials and that she had a Ph.D. in research science. Like the other shows, they will address the rumors, concerns, and myths.

It's critical to walk through the facts first. And remember- facts don't have opinions. Stacy and Sarah's primary agenda is to give the data for you to interpret for yourself.

 

Adenovirus Vector Vaccines
J&J and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines are both DNA vaccines that use an adenovirus vector. The concept is similar to the mRNA vaccines but not wholly the same. (5:20)

Sarah reminds the audience that to make proteins, DNA is first transcribed into mRNA, which is then translated into protein.

So, both J&J and AstraZeneca vaccines deliver instructions to make the full-length covid-19 spike protein.

Only slightly different from the instructions for the mRNA vaccines, which have a couple of mutations to stabilize the tertiary structure into what's called the postfusion conformation and the transmembrane anchor added

Both adenovirus vaccines encode full-length spike protein without the postfusion conformation stabilization mutations (say that 5 times fast!) but still add the membrane anchor.

Sarah recommends this source for more information.

So, these work similarly to the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines. 

However, J&J and AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccines require two steps to make the spike protein instead of one. They also require a special delivery agent to get into the cell nucleus. That's where adenoviruses kick in!

Adenovirus Vectors Research
There are about 50 years of research on adenovirus vectors as DNA delivery vectors. (8:48)

Adenoviruses are basically common cold viruses that can cause illnesses ranging from cold-like symptoms to bronchitis, gastroenteritis, and conjunctivitis.

They are non-enveloped DNA viruses that can't alter our DNA because (unlike retroviruses such as HIV or lentiviruses) wild-type adenoviruses do