— Most of us have probably received vaccines and antibiotics at some point in our lives, and while they may have seemed to work like magic at the time, medical professionals’ precise understanding of the drugs’ mechanisms of action enables their use as the primary tools for fighting infection. Vaccines are made out of pieces of “dead” viruses or bacteria, and when administered, these particles train the body to recognize and attack similar foreign invaders.[] Medical personnel typically administer vaccines to patients in at-risk populations as preventive measures against viral infections, such as the measles, the mumps, and rubella (recall the dreaded MMR shot). Conversely, medical personnel turn to antibiotics to fight a bacterial infection once it has already begun. Antibiotics are typically composed of much smaller molecules than are vaccines.[] These small molecules directly attack bacteria, interfering with cellular processes the bacteria needs to grow and reproduce (and cause a nasty infection). Continue reading Silk-Stabilized Vaccines and Antibiotics: Ending the “Cold Chain”