Antibodies taken with some Covid-19 vaccines are less effective in neutralizing new mutations, circulating the novel coronavirus than those first reported in the UK, South Africa and Brazil. , according to a new study.
The research, published in the journal Cell, noted that the neutralizing antibodies induced by the Pfizer and Moderna Covid-19 vaccines were less effective against the coronavirus changes first described in Brazil and Africa. South.
According to the scientists, including Alejandro Balazs from Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) in the USA, neutralizing antibodies works by binding tightly to the virus and preventing it from spreading. into cells, thus preventing infection.
They said this connection only happens when the shapes of the antibody and the virus match perfectly together “like a key in a lock.”
If the shape of the virus changes where the antibody binds to it – in this case, in the spike protein of the novel coronavirus – they said that the antibody may not be able to recognize and neutralize the virus as well.
In the study, the researchers developed evaluations for Covid-19, comparing how well the antibodies worked against the original restriction against the new variants.
“When we tested these new rays against vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies, we found that the three new strains first described in South Africa were 20-40 times more resistant to neutralization. , “said Balazs, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard School of Medicine in the U.S..
According to the scientists, the two strains first described in Brazil and Japan were five to seven times more stable, compared to the original SARS-CoV-2 virus line from Wuhan, China.
“In particular we found that mutations in a specific part of the spike protein known as the receptor binding domain were more likely to help the virus resist neutral antibodies,” said Wilfredo Garcia-Beltran, the study’s first author. from MGH.
The study noted that the three changes in South Africa, the most stable, all shared three mutations in the receptor binding domain, which may contribute to their high strength. in terms of neutralizing antibodies.
However, the scientists said that the ability of these variables to resist neutral antibodies does not mean that the vaccines will not be effective.
“The body has other methods of immunity in addition to antibodies. Our findings do not mean that vaccines do not inhibit COVID, only that the antibody part of the immune response will have a problem with some of the Recognize those new variables, “Balazs said.
The researchers said it is essential to understand which mutations are most likely to allow the immune virus to evade a vaccine to develop next – generation vaccines that protect against new changes.
They said this can also help researchers develop more effective methods of protection, such as broad-spectrum vaccines that work against a wide variety of modifications, regardless of the mutations they develop.
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This story was published from a wire group group with no text changes.