Health
The COVID mRNA vaccine can be rapidly renewed for new variants. So where is my Omicron booster?
Declared as a variant of concern at the end of November, Omicron quickly swept the world and became a major COVID variant in many countries, including Australia.
This is the latest and probably not the last of the ever-growing variants.
Nevertheless, all of the hundreds of millions of approved mRNA vaccines administered worldwide were made with the original recipe based on the COVID virus that first appeared in Wuhan.
One of the most promising aspects of the new mRNA COVID vaccine is the ability to quickly adjust for maximum protection in the face of new mutants.
So where is my Omicron booster?
Remember again: How does the mRNA vaccine work?
The mRNA vaccine contains a blueprint in the form of a genetic material called messenger RNA. This blueprint is “read” by the cells when injected into the muscle.
Using that RNA message as a guide, our cells build a replica of the spike protein that the SARS-CoV-2 virus uses to infect us.
The newly constructed peplomer is pushed out of the cell like a flag, alerting the immune system.
In response, a type of white blood cell called a B cell sends out antibodies — a Y-shaped molecule that forms the immune “memory” of spikes.
However, the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutated its genetic code and slightly reshaped peplomer, allowing it to fly better under the radar of the immune system.
ArchaFox, an RNA biologist at the University of Western Australia, states that the process of adjusting an mRNA vaccine for a new mutant is “very easy.”
“The beauty of RNA [vaccine] The platform is that it is very easy to change the DNA template used to create the RNA.
“Because it’s biochemist and molecular biologist bread and butter. [vaccine] Company “
Colin Puton, a pharmaceutical biologist at Monash University, says large companies such as Pfizer and Modana can produce a test Omicron-specific vaccine in as little as a week.
So first, they test whether the Omicron vaccine does it in mice.
“But if you do animal experiments [with an Omicron-specific booster shot], And look for protection against Omicron. The omicron version of their vaccine isn’t really as effective as the original Wuhan vaccine, “says Professor Puton.
what happened?
Slightly immune spanner
When a person (or mouse) is given multiple vaccines with slight differences in composition, a phenomenon called “imprinting” can occur.
“When you give a vaccine, it stimulates the immune response to produce antibodies … then the second or third dose boosts the immune response,” says Professor Pouton.
However, if vaccinated against a slightly different variant, it may reduce the number of antibodies that specifically act on the new viral variant.
This is because when faced with a similar vaccine, the immune system prefers to mobilize and return existing antibody-producing B cells rather than developing new antibodies.
(This also happens with seasonal flu vaccines, and that’s part of the reason it’s only partially effective. But you still need to get it.. )
And not all antibodies are made the same.
Our immune system works to make antibodies that recognize and attach to many different parts of the spike when presented with the spike protein.
Antibodies that help prevent the virus from infecting cells are called neutralizing antibodies.
These are required and work by blocking the end of the viral peplomer called the “receptor binding domain”.
This is a bit that latches on the ACE2 receptor in our cells (hence “receptor binding”) and allows the virus to slip inside.
Another way to think of it is to imagine that the peaplomer is the arm and the last part is the hand that can grab the ACE2 door handle and twist it open.
Obtaining a very large and oversized clothespin (which is a neutralizing antibody) and fixing it between the “palm” or its fingers creates a physical barrier between the hand and the door handle. .. You can open the door and infect the cells.
Pegs that prefer to hang from their elbows or near their shoulders are not very effective at stopping hand movements. These pegs are non-neutralizing antibodies.
And non-neutralizing antibodies make up the majority of the antibodies produced by the COVID vaccine, says Dale Godfrey, an immunologist at the Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity.
“When immunized with a whole-spike vaccine, only about 10 to 20 percent of the antibody binds to the receptor-binding domain compared to the remaining spike proteins.”
So how can you avoid this?
Scientists are looking for ways to enhance neutralizing antibodies while avoiding immunological imprinting.
One way to do this is to create a “slimmed” version of the variant-specific vaccine.
Professor Pouton and Professor Godfrey Testing of two such vaccines..
One is the mRNA vaccine, which is instructed that cells create only the receptor-binding domain and not the rest of the spikes. The other is composed of laboratory-generated receptor-binding domain proteins.
“We want to say [to the immune system]”There are new targets we’ve never seen before,” says Professor Pouton.
The vaccine in clinical trials is based on a beta variant that was a concern at the start of the project.
Beta variants share some of the mutations in Omicron, says Professor Godfrey.
“We expect to think so, but we’re still not sure if this means that the vaccine provides excellent protection against Omicron.”
Pfizer When modern We are continuing clinical trials to see how all of their Omicron-specific spike vaccines can help people.
Moderna is also experimenting with a “divalent” version that combines the original vaccine with the new Omicron-specific spike mRNA.
You may not have to wait too long to see how well they work.
A Pfizer spokeswoman said he would share next-generation vaccine data “in the coming weeks.”
A Moderna spokeswoman said the company plans to obtain initial data on bivalent vaccines this month to inform the selection of candidates for the Northern Hemisphere. [autumn] 2022 Booster “.
Moderna is also in Phase I trials of a receptor-binding domain-specific Omicron booster, says Professor Pouton, but it is in the very early stages.
Ultimately, he adds, he hopes that the COVID vaccine will become a routine seasonal vaccine, such as an annual flu shot, eliminating the need to run a clinical trial gauntlet each time.
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