Published in the journal Cell, the study noted that the neutralizing antibodies induced by the Pfizer and Moderna COVID 19 vaccines were less effective against the coronavirus variants first found in South Africa and Brazil.
According to the scientists, neutralizing antibodies work by binding tightly to the virus and preventing it from entering the cells, thus preventing infection. That said, this binding only takes place when the antibodies and viruses are a perfect match, like a key in a lock.
If the shape of the virus changes when the antibody attaches to it, the antibody may not be able to recognize and neutralize the virus.
The scientists compared how well the antibodies worked against the original strain versus the new variants.
When the scientists tested the new strains against vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies, they found that the three new strains first described in South Africa were 20-40 times more resistant to neutralization.
The two strains first described in Brazil and Japan were five to seven times more resistant than the original SARS-CoV-2 virus line from Wuhan, China.
In particular, we found that mutations in a specific part of the spike protein called the receptor binding domain more likely helped the virus to resist the neutralizing antibodies, said an author of the study.
However, the ability of these variants to resist neutralizing antibodies does not mean that the vaccines will not be effective.
“The body has other methods of immune protection in addition to antibodies. Our findings do not necessarily mean that vaccines will not prevent COVID, just that the antibody portion of the immune response may have difficulty recognizing some of these new variants,” the scientists said. .
To develop the next generation, it is important to understand which mutations are more likely to allow the virus to bypass vaccination-derived immunity.
The study could also help researchers develop more effective prevention methods, such as a broad protective vaccine that works against a wide variety of variants, regardless of the number of mutations that develop.