Experts argue that with the covid-19 pandemic, the contribution of this science to human health became more evident. In this sense, they explain that “although the ideal standard is the rapid development of vaccines in the event of pandemics, new microorganisms could be generated against which we have never been exposed before and which will not necessarily have immunizers in a short time.”
Finding vaccines for microorganisms for diseases that still have no cure and advancing the population’s access to immunization agents, given the great inequality in this area, are two of the main challenges for immunology at this time, say scientists from the Millennium Institute in Immunology and Immunotherapy (IMII).
The researchers addressed the present of the discipline, on the occasion of the upcoming commemoration of its World Day, on April 29, to disseminate the importance of immunology in the fight against infections, autoimmunity and cancer, as well as to promote the benefits of research in this field.
Covid-19 and accumulated knowledge
Doctors Alexis Kalergis, Leandro Carreño, Pablo González and Susan Bueno agree that the discipline has experienced significant growth in interest and public awareness as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With this pandemic, the contribution of immunology to health became evident, since it was a situation that affected the entire population, so that contingent issues related to immunology have been much more present,” says Kalergis, a doctor who has led from the IMII the development of vaccine prototypes against SARS-CoV-2.
At this point, Susan Bueno, highlights that thanks to the advancement of immunology, it has been possible to address health problems that have undoubtedly been exposed by Covid-19. “A century ago it would have caused more deaths and cases, like what happened with the Spanish flu in 1918. So, what happened was very different in terms of vaccine development, the implementation of measures and the control of the pandemic”, he maintains. she.
He also adds that “the generation of immunizers and vaccination have allowed us to no longer think or talk about diseases that previously had a great impact on the population, such as poliomyelitis, measles, cokeluche, diphtheria and tetanus, among others.” ”.
Leandro Carreño, alternate director of the IMII and academic at the University of Chile, indicates that “all the information collected made it possible that, when the first outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome was generated in 2003, the methodology developed for vaccines was applied and happily said outbreak did not become a pandemic, causing no more than 8,100 cases and 774 deaths.”
In this context, he affirms, that there was sufficient knowledge to apply it to new related infectious diseases, which allows us today to have a large part of the population vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 and gradually overcome the Covid-19 pandemic.
Speed in vaccine development
Another issue addressed by the experts is the speed with which science was able to obtain, after the global emergency was declared due to COVID-19, vaccines against SARS-CoV-2.
“Adapting vaccines to new pathogens allows rapid action. However, this does not mean that new pathogens emerge, or that pathogens cannot evolve and, thus, generate new microorganisms against which we have not been exposed, therefore, we do not know the response of our immune system to them,” says Kalergis.
In any case, the scientist highlights that, in the face of infectious diseases, “it has been shown that the use of vaccines is the most effective measure, accompanied by containment, traceability and identification of the genome of microorganisms leading to the development of immunizers” .
Dr. Bueno, for her part, recalls that “there are diseases caused by microorganisms for which a vaccine has not yet been developed, such as the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Despite scientific efforts, we still do not have one, and there are diseases that for now are only controlled via drugs, which shows that it is important to do multidisciplinary science”.
Pablo González, an associate professor at UC who works on new solutions against the herpes simplex virus, for which there is no vaccine, agrees with the above.
“The extension of immunology to other disciplines and sub-disciplines provides very valuable experimental information and new perspectives that could be translated into novel immunization strategies to counteract evasion mechanisms.”
By the way, Carreño indicates that there are two great challenges for immunology at present. Firstly, to develop vaccines against microorganisms that they do not yet have, or to improve the ones that exist, and secondly, to achieve equity in the distribution of vaccines, to promote accessibility to everyone and control diseases.
Awareness in the population
The researchers highlight that the fact that immunology is more present in public opinion has an impact on the general population’s better understanding of the relevance of the immune system and how it works, with multiple conditions that could affect it and many of which do not. they are aware.
Regarding the context of immunology in Chile, Kalergis highlighted the initiatives that help make the importance of immunology viable, through the collaborative work of different scientists. In addition, the dissemination of information is a fundamental aspect for the population to become aware.
2023-04-29 04:30:22
#Immunology #Day #developing #vaccines #microorganisms #main #challenge
