How do vector vaccines work to provide immunity?

The correct answer is by placing the virus in a modified version of a different virus.

Key Points

•  Vector vaccines use a harmless virus containing the nucleic acid of a disease-causing virus.
• These modified viruses make antigens inside the host and provide protective immunity against it.

Important Points

•  Vector vaccines, also known as viral vector vaccines, work by using a harmless virus to deliver genetic material into the body.
• This genetic material contains instructions to produce a piece of the target pathogen (usually a virus) or a modified version of it, such as a spike protein, which is part of the virus's structure. 
• Vector vaccines, like the Oxford-AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson's Janssen, and Sputnik V vaccines for COVID-19, have been effective in providing immunity against various diseases.
• They offer several advantages, such as the ability to generate a strong and long-lasting immune response without using live or weakened pathogens, making them safer in some cases.
• Different vector vaccines use various viral vectors and may have distinct mechanisms for delivering the genetic material, but the overall principle of using a harmless virus to trigger an immune response remains consistent.