Scientists Discover Antibodies That Induce Broad Immunity Against Sars Viruses, Including Emerging Variants
Published:23 Aug.2022 Source:Scripps Research Institute
As the world has witnessed firsthand, SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID, is difficult to control because of its ability to rapidly mutate and produce many different variants. Scientists at Scripps Research have now identified antibodies that are effective against many different SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as other SARS viruses like SARS-CoV-1, the highly lethal virus that caused an outbreak in 2003. The results showed that certain animals are surprisingly more able to make these types of "pan-SARS virus" antibodies than humans, giving scientists clues as to how to make better vaccines.
The findings, published today in Science Translational Medicine, reveal the antibody structures that produce this more comprehensive immune response. They found these neutralizing antibodies recognize a viral spike region that is relatively more conserved, meaning that it is present across many different SARS viruses and is therefore less likely to mutate over time. This discovery can inform how to develop next-generation vaccines that can offer additional protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and other SARS-related viruses.