Scientists report sad signs that some recent mutations of the virus that causes COVID-19 may hamper the effectiveness of two conventional vaccines, although they confirm that the strains are still protective. against the disease.
Researchers raised concerns about the initial findings Wednesday, largely because they suggest that future mutations could weaken vaccines. The study tested coronaviruses from the United Kingdom, South Africa and Brazil, and was led by Rockefeller University in New York with scientists from the National Institutes of Health and elsewhere.
A separate, more limited study on Wednesday released encouraging news about the protection of a single vaccine against some mutations.
One way that vaccines work to stimulate the immune system is to make antibodies that prevent the virus from infecting cells. The Rockefeller researchers obtained blood samples from 20 people who had received the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine and tested their antibodies against various virus mutations in the laboratory.
For some, the antibodies did not work as well against the virus – activity was one to three times less, according to the simulation, said Rockefeller ‘s director of the study, Dr Michel Nussenzweig.
“It’s a small difference but it’s definitely a difference,” he said. The antibody response is not “as good” at inhibiting the virus.
Earlier research established that both vaccines are approximately 95% effective in preventing COVID-19 disease.
The latest findings were posted late Tuesday on an online website for researchers and have not been published in a journal or reviewed by other scientists. Nussenzweig is paid by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, which also supports science coverage at The Associated Press. The university has applied for a patent related to its work.
The coronavirus has become increasingly genetically diverse, and scientists say the high cause of new cases is the main cause. Each new infection allows the virus to circulate and replicate itself.
Recent changes, or versions of the virus that have emerged in the UK, South Africa and Brazil, appear to be spreading more easily and scientists say that can lead to more cases, deaths and hospitalizations. . The new changes do not seem to cause more serious disease but their ability to remove vaccines is a concern.
E. John Wherry, an immunologist at the University of Pennsylvania, said Rockefeller scientists are “among the best in the world” at this work and that their results are worrying.
“We don’t want people to think that the standard vaccine is already out of date. That is not true, ”he said. “Immunity is still here … a good level of protection,” but the mutations “actually reduce the level of our immune response to recognize the virus.”
The news comes at a “critical time in the pandemic,” said Dr Buddy Creech, a vaccination expert at Vanderbilt University.
“We have an arms race between the vaccines and the virus. The slower we roll out the vaccine around the world, the more chances we will have of this virus escaping ”and developing mutations, he said.
Dr Matthew Woodruff, an immunology researcher at Emory University, agreed.
“This is going to be a kind of evolutionary cycle. We need to have devices that develop slowly with it, ”such as treatments that offer a combination of antibodies rather than one, he said.
Dr. Drew Weissman, a scientist from the University of Pennsylvania who helped with the work leading to the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines, said the antibody findings are worrying, but noted that vaccines also protect in other ways, such as stimulating responses from other parts of the immune system. The new job involved only 20 people and not a wide range of ages or races, “and that’s all important” in terms of the generality of the results, he said.
On Wednesday, Pfizer and its German partner BioNTech reported a second round of positive decisions about its vaccine against one of the variables.
Earlier this month, Pfizer and researchers at the University of Texas Medical Branch said the vaccine was still effective against a mutation called N501Y from new mutations found in the UK and South Africa. Similarly, there was no sign of trouble when they tested additional mutations.
The latest work tested all movements from the UK variable at once rather than one-on-one. Tests from 16 vaccinated recipients showed no significant difference in the ability of antibodies to block the virus, the researchers said in a preliminary report t.
Pfizer did not immediately comment on Rockefeller’s findings, but its chief scientific officer, Dr. Philip Dormitzer, has previously said that the next steps include testing the vaccine against additional mutations. found in the South African variant.
Moderna and AstraZeneca, which makes different types of COVID-19 vaccine used in some countries, have also been testing how their vaccines are resistant to various mutations.
If the latter virus changes enough that the vaccine needs to change – as flu shots have changed most years – it would not be difficult to reverse the recipe for vaccines made with newer technologies. Both Pfizer and Moderna vaccines are made with a piece of the virus genetic code that is simple to modify.
It is “seriously thought” to believe that first-generation vaccines will suffice, or that vaccines alone will solve our problems, said Mayo Clinic vaccination expert Dr Gregory Poland.
“We are burning ourselves by allowing this virus to pass without permission” and by not taking “common sense” measures such as prescribing mascara consumption as some other countries do. do, he said.
“How can the bars and restaurants be full? It’s like ‘what is pandemic?’ We have harvested the seeds that we have sown, “he said.
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Medical writer Lauran Neergaard made a statement.
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The Department of Health and Science Associated Press is supported by the Science Education Department of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. The AP is solely responsible for all content.