Sarah Bennett
Stem cells are the body's raw materials, capable of generating new cell types. They are used in vaccine development, but the type of stem cell used is important. Fetal cell lines, derived from abortions, have been used in the manufacture of vaccines since the 1930s, with one of the first applications being the polio vaccine. However, the use of fetal tissue in vaccine development is controversial, with some objecting on religious grounds. The Vatican has stated that it is morally licit for Catholics to receive vaccines derived from fetal cell lines if there is a grave danger, such as during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is important to note that the Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and Sputnik-V COVID-19 vaccines did not contain aborted fetal cells but used fetal cell lines during the testing and development phases. In addition, adult stem cells, specifically mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), are being explored as a promising vaccine platform for cancer and autoimmune diseases due to their low immunogenicity and high proliferation potential.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Do Moderna and Pfizer vaccines use embryonic stem cells or fetal tissue? | No, they do not. |
| Are adult stem cells used in vaccine development? | Yes, induced pluripotent stem cells are used. |
| Are fetal cell lines used in vaccine testing and development? | Yes, fetal cell lines are used to test the effectiveness and safety of medications. |
| Are stem cells used in cancer treatments? | Yes, stem cells are used in cancer treatments, but unapproved treatments can be harmful. |
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What You'll Learn
Fetal cell lines have been used in vaccine manufacture since the 1930s
Fetal cell lines have been used in the manufacture of vaccines since the 1930s. One of the first applications of cell lines derived from fetal tissues was in the production of the first polio vaccines. In the 1950s, scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden propagated a polio virus in fetal cell lines to develop a polio vaccine, which was then administered to about 2,000 children.
The use of fetal tissue in vaccine development involves growing viruses in cultured (lab-grown) cells that were originally derived from human fetal tissue. The cell strains in use originate from abortions, which has led to opposition to the practice and the resulting vaccines on moral and religious grounds. Despite this, the Vatican has clarified that it is "morally licit" for Catholics to receive vaccines derived from fetal cell lines, as "passive material cooperation in the procured abortion from which these cell lines originate is, on the part of those making use of the resulting vaccines, remote".
Several vaccines in use today, including those for chickenpox and rubella, are made using cell lines originally derived from fetal tissue from two pregnancies terminated in the 1960s. Fetal tissue has been used as a valuable investigational tool in biomedical science since the 1930s. Embryologists, anatomists, and physiologists have studied fetal metabolism, fetoplacental unit function, premature life support, and brain activity in previable fetuses.
Fetal cell lines are derived from stem cells originally taken from aborted fetuses. Stem cells are our body's foundational cells that have the potential to renew themselves and develop into different types during early life and growth. They are often referred to as "master cells". The two most important types of stem cells are pluripotent and adult. Pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into all cell types in the body, while adult stem cells are found in specific tissues and organs and can differentiate into specialised cells of that tissue or organ.
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COVID-19 vaccines do not contain aborted fetal cells
The Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine (AZD1222) does not contain human cells or tissues. It is a "vector vaccine," which uses a weakened version of an adenovirus—a harmless virus that usually causes the common cold in chimpanzees—to transport the vaccine's ingredients into the human body. This adenovirus can stimulate a response from a person's immune system when their body detects it in cells.
The Pfizer and Moderna vaccines also do not utilize embryonic material in their vaccines. They did not use these materials to create their vaccines. Instead, they used synthetic material (man-made) or adult cells that have been reprogrammed to act like embryonic cells.
During preclinical research, MRC-5 cells, which were collected from fetal tissue in the 1960s and 1970s, were used to determine the effectiveness of the AstraZeneca vaccine in human clinical trials. However, these cells are not used in the manufacturing process for this vaccine. The HEK 293 cell line, another cell line derived from fetal tissue, is used to propagate the virus in the lab, but there is no evidence that these cells are present in the vaccine itself. The cells are removed through a filtering and purification process before the vaccine is deployed to humans.
While some COVID-19 treatments and vaccines have come under scrutiny for their use of fetal cells in testing and development, this does not mean that the final product contains aborted fetal cells. The use of fetal tissue in biomedical research is not increasing the number of abortions that are carried out each year, and many Christian bioethicists argue that the great good of vaccination outweighs the "distant evil" of the creation of fetal cell lines decades ago.
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The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines do not use embryonic material
There is a lot of misinformation regarding the use of embryonic stem cells in the development of the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines. However, it is important to clarify that neither of these vaccines utilizes embryonic material in their formulation.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines are mRNA vaccines. mRNA, or messenger RNA, is a type of nucleic acid that carries the genetic blueprint of a cell and communicates with the rest of the cell to produce specific proteins. In the natural world, the body relies on these proteins to keep itself alive and healthy. In the context of vaccine development, scientists can design specific mRNA to create any protein they desire, such as antibodies to vaccinate against infection.
The Moderna and Pfizer vaccines were developed using this mRNA technology without relying on embryonic cells or tissue. Instead, the cellular components used in this vaccine development come from synthetic material or adult cells from our own bodies that have been reprogrammed to act like embryonic cells. This technology has been developed over the years through knowledge gained from embryonic stem cell research. However, the actual vaccine development and production for these specific vaccines did not involve the use of embryonic material.
It is worth noting that fetal cell lines, such as HEK 293, were used in the confirmation phase of testing for these vaccines to ensure their effectiveness. These fetal cell lines are descended from tissue taken from elective abortions in the 1970s and 1980s, but they are not the same as fetal tissue. The cells used for testing are thousands of generations removed from the original fetal tissue, and no fetal material is present in the final vaccine product.
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Stem cells are the body's raw materials
There is currently a lot of research being conducted on the use of stem cells in vaccine synthesis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a promising vaccine platform due to their low immunogenicity, high proliferation potential, and abundance of extracellular vesicles (EVs). However, the vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna do not utilize embryonic material or fetal tissue in their vaccines. Instead, they use induced pluripotent stem cells, which are adult stem cells that have been modified in a lab to behave like embryonic stem cells. These induced pluripotent stem cells are the body's raw materials, capable of differentiating into various specialized cell types.
Stem cells are indeed the body's raw materials, as they have the remarkable potential to renew themselves and develop into many different cell types. They are unique in their ability to generate new cell types, a capability that no other cell in the body possesses. Under the right conditions, stem cells can divide to form more cells, known as daughter cells. These daughter cells can either become new stem cells through self-renewal or differentiate into specialized cells with specific functions, such as blood cells, brain cells, heart muscle cells, or bone cells.
Pluripotent stem cells, including embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells, have the capacity to differentiate into all the cells of the adult body. They are undifferentiated, lacking tissue-specific characteristics, but can give rise to a wide range of differentiated cells. On the other hand, adult stem cells are found in specific tissues or organs and differentiate into the specialized cell types of that tissue or organ. They possess morphological features and gene expression patterns reflective of their tissue of origin.
The potential of stem cells as renewable sources for transplantable tissues and organs is significant. While adult stem cells are limited in quantity and capacity to divide outside the body, pluripotent stem cells offer greater flexibility in terms of starting material and renewal potential. Scientists are actively studying ways to manipulate stem cells to possess the necessary characteristics for successful differentiation, transplantation, and engraftment.
The application of mesenchymal stem cells in vaccine synthesis holds promise, particularly in cancer therapeutic vaccines. MSCs have low immunogenicity, avoiding attacks by toxic T cells and NK cells. Their high proliferation potential makes them an ideal and cost-effective starting material for tissue engineering. Additionally, MSC-EVs can cross the blood-brain barrier and deliver specific drugs directly to tumor cells, inducing tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting invasion.
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Vaccines are being developed to target fibrogenic cells to treat fibrosis
Vaccines are an effective way of treating and/or preventing diseases. However, developing vaccines for certain diseases, such as AIDS and some tumours, remains challenging. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are a type of cell with low immunogenicity, high proliferation potential, and abundant extracellular vesicles (EVs). These characteristics make MSCs a promising platform for developing novel vaccines.
MSCs are currently used as a gene therapy vector for treating various diseases, including cancer and autoimmune diseases. They have also been studied for their potential in tumour immunotherapy. MSC-EVs can deliver drugs directly to tumour sites in the brain, inducing tumour cell death and inhibiting invasion. This makes MSCs a powerful tool for preventing tumour occurrence and controlling metastasis.
Fibrosis is the final stage of almost every form of chronic inflammatory disease, resulting from extracellular matrix deposition by fibrogenic fibroblasts. It can lead to severe tissue fibrosis in various organs. Vaccination-based immunotherapy targeting profibrotic cells in the liver and lungs has shown promising results in reducing fibrosis without disrupting tissue homeostasis. This approach involves activating the genes Adam12 and Gli1 in profibrotic cells, leading to the production of "self-peptides" that can be utilised for T cell vaccines to eliminate fibrogenic cells.
While the use of embryonic stem cells in vaccine development is a topic of discussion, it is important to note that the Moderna and Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines do not utilise embryonic material. Instead, they use synthetic material or adult stem cells that have been reprogrammed to act like embryonic stem cells. These induced pluripotent stem cells can differentiate into various specialised cell types while avoiding the ethical concerns associated with embryonic stem cells.
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