Vaccines are what we look up to when we are talking about getting immunity for diseases that our body would naturally not be able to fight. When we talk about Polio, there is a vaccine for it, when we talk about smallpox, there is a vaccine for it but then why can't we have a vaccine for everything such as high cholesterol, or other conditions that are not pathogen related? Well, it looks like things are about to change because scientists are looking at how to create vaccines for health problems that are not pathogenic.
In case this is the first time you are hearing about vaccines, they are substances either dead or living that activate the immune system by exposing them to pathogens, thereby helping the immune system to recognize the pathogen, combat them, and help them to identify and combat the pathogens in case of future attacks. This is why the body can easily fight diseases like Covid, Flu, and so on, since they have pathogens but then what happens with conditions like high cholesterol?
High Cholesterol is very common in our world today and it is a major cause for heart disease, but while the liver can convert LDL cholesterol to bile, it ends up clogging the blood vessels. Although, diet can play a very big role in causing this clogging, it can also be caused by genetic factors. While LDL receptors are able to absorb the LDL cholesterol in the liver cells, an enzyme known as PCSK9 decreases the number of the LDL receptors in the cell surface thereby allowing the fatty cholesterol to stay in the blood vessel and blocking them thereby making blood flow difficult.
This is why scientist are working on vaccines that can neutralize the PCSK9 enzyme, thereby allowing the LeDL receptors to be present in the cells allowing large amount of LDL cholesterol to be removed from the bloodstream to the liver and converted to bile. The use of Monoclonal antibodies is one way to target the enzymes to target the enzymes, thereby allowing for the LDL receptors to be present in the blood vessels helping the cholesterol to be absorbed easily.
Monoclonal antibodies are passive immunization but while they help prevent the enzyme from being produced but doesn't teach the body how to prevent the enzyme from being produced, so it cannot be used as a vaccine fully. In other to get better result, scientists are using virus like particle coupled with the PCSK9 enzyme to cause the immune system to attack the enzyme thereby making the immune system see the enzyme as foreign. Scientists tested this process in animals and the animal immune system produced antibodies against the enzyme, which led to about 33% decrease in the circulation of the enzyme.
Although Scientists are working to make LDL cholesterol easily absorbed, they are not giving up on other conditions including substance abuse. It will be impressive to see that we have a way to fight substance abuse, compared to the traditional method of medications, therapies and counselings that we have, scientists are looking at how to prevent substance abuse by the immune system. With this, the immune system remove the chemical substance that could cause effects before they begin to cause the effects. For instance, removing nicotine in the body before it begins to function.
Vaccines to help fight against drug dependence are being tested on animals, and they show great changes. A study on monkeys that were dependent on heroin showed drastic reduction in how they depended on the drug after given vaccines against the drugs. Another vaccine for cocaine given to rodents showed that there was a reduction in the cocaine level in their brain after they are administered the vaccines.
The landscape of vaccine science is undergoing a remarkable transformation. Moving beyond infectious diseases, researchers are now unlocking the potential of vaccines to combat a range of non-infectious conditions, from high cholesterol to substance abuse. So soon, we might be able to vaccinate against both infections and abuse making our health better and our lives more fulfilling with increased life expectancy. These advancements not only represent a significant leap in medical science but also promise a future where our immune system can be harnessed to address a broader spectrum of health challenges. As research continues to advance, the prospect of vaccines offering solutions for these complex conditions is not just a possibility but an impending reality, poised to reshape healthcare and improve countless lives.
Read More
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