70 Conclusion
Rachel Falkowski; Jenna Diemel; and Brigitte Gallagher
Summary
In 2021, Dr. Katherine Whitehead presented an inspiring TEDTalk on the lipid nanoparticle mRNA groundbreaking technology. These “tiny balls of fat”, or lipid nanoparticles, allow mRNA to be transported effectively to a specific target in the body. The outside lipid structures protect the mRNA and allow it to travel around the body and infiltrate cells so that the body can create an immune response to the mRNA which allows the patient to be immunized against the mRNA. With the initial introduction of mRNA for vaccinations to target COVID-19, the use shows promise to expand beyond vaccination use and is currently under research for further applications.
Impact
Though the average American is considerably unaware of their daily exposure to chemicals (harmful and not)–chemicals put into their body daily from food, toothpaste and drug, as well as ones on their skin for skin care, makeup and household cleaning products–there was an increased upset over the vaccines, which can partly be attributed to government officials, misinformation and lack of effective scientific communication. Unfortunately in the United States, and other countries, the COVID-19 vaccines became a politicized issue and created an increased amount of fear around the vaccines. Even today on Tinder profiles you can choose to show if you are “vaccinated”, “unvaccinated” or “prefer not to share”.
A 2021 study, the same year as Whitehead’s TEDTalk, showed a large amount of fear surrounding the vaccines. However, there was significantly more trust in mRNA vaccines than the other forms to fight COVID-19. Those in the study that tended to have more fear had less information about the vaccines, so proper knowledge is incredibly important [10]. TEDTalks are fairly popular videos that are seen by millions of people globally. So, it is highly probable Katherine Whitehead’s TEDTalk increased the knowledge of people on mRNA vaccines and likely increased their trust in the technology, as she emphasizes its use of our body’s natural defense system without actual exposure to the virus.
Her research additionally inspires hope for those suffering from other illnesses or conditions that could be treated in the future with lipid nanoparticle mRNA technology.
