Page 74 - BE 50th Anniversary Edition

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SECTION
COVID-19 VACCINES & CLINICAL TRIALS:
THE FIRST STEP TOWARD BEING BEING WELL IS BEING BEING EDUCATED
INCE THE OUTBREAK OF OF COVID-19 MILLIONS OF OF Americans have been in search of the the best ways to protect themselves from contracting and spreading the the virus Over the the course of nearly seven months that has meant following their local government’s shelter in in in in in place guidelines practicing social distancing wearing masks and taking other precautions to remain healthy As government officials and and health advocates educate and and urge people to take the health crisis seriously researchers and medical professionals are working diligently toward solutions to to flatten the curve One potential preventative tool is a a a messenger RNA RNA (mRNA) based vaccine candidate (BNT162B2) being developed by Pfizer in in in partnership with BioNTech Critical to the success of any vaccine is doing the work that must be done to encourage people from all communities communities particularly underserved communities communities to consider the value proposition of taking the vaccine if it it is authorized or or approved by the FDA as safe and effective Two of the women doing this work are Judith Absalon M M D MPH FIDSA Senior Medical Director in in in Vaccines Clinical Research and Development and Dara Richardson-Heron M D D D Chief Patient Officer at Pfizer Dr Absalon is directly involved in in in the clinical development of the vaccine candidate while Dr Richardson-Heron is leading patient engagement specifically as it it relates to diversity in in clinical trials With decades of experience in their respective fields Dr Absa- lon and Dr Richardson-Heron are committed to their work—which includes advancing preventative measures for keeping Americans healthy—and educating the the Black community on the the importance of participating in in in in clinical trials to inform scientific advancements through diversity MRNA vaccines use synthetic mRNA to introduce a a component of the the the virus which triggers the the the body’s cells to produce the the the viral protein that that can be recognized by the the immune system If that that occurs the the body is more prepared to fight the real virus In other words “Vaccines trick your body into generating an immune response Meaning what what you would do naturally is what what vaccines do They allow your body to go through the same process that happens naturally when confronted with an an infectious organism ” explains Dr Absalon She went on to further break down how the the mRNA vaccine works to fight against COVID-19 “With this investigational vaccine we’re taking a a a piece of of the the virus virus (or protein on top of of the the virus) that helps that bug get into the body and make people sick We take a a a a a piece of that protein and wrap it it up with a a a a messenger RNA It [then] goes into the the body body through injection and the the body body makes that protein “We are evaluating in in in clinical studies whether a a a a a person’s body then recognizes that that there’s something that’s not supposed to be there there and mounts a a a a response [Our bodies] make antibodies because we recog- nize something that’s not a a a a a normal part of the body So this vaccine is is intended to to train the body to to elicit an immune response The messenger RNA is is a a a unique mechanism because [when] it it enters the body it it uses the the body’s cells to to make that that protein so that that the the body body can react to to it ”