Media advice
Friday, February 12, 2021
Editorial stresses the need for global response.
What
The emergence of several significant variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, has caught the attention of health and science experts around the world. In an editorial published today in JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, experts at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, outline how these variants came about, concerns about whether vaccines currently approved for use will continue to protect against new variants, and the need for a global approach to combat SARS-CoV-2 as it spreads and acquires additional mutations.
The article was written by NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD; John R. Mascola, MD, director of the NIAID’s Vaccine Research Center (VRC); and Barney S. Graham, MD, Ph.D., NIAID deputy director of the PRC.
The authors note that the overlapping discovery of several SARS-CoV-2 variants has led to confusing terms used to name them. The appearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants is so recent that the World Health Organization and other groups are still developing appropriate nomenclature for the different variants.
Numerous SARS-CoV-2 variants have appeared in recent months. The authors note that the variants known as B.1.1.7 (first identified in the UK) and B.1.351 (first identified in South Africa) concern scientists due to emerging data suggesting an increased transferability.
Variants can carry several mutations, but changes in the virus spike protein, which is used to enter and infect cells, are of particular concern. Changes in this protein can make a vaccine less effective against a particular variant. The authors note that the B.1.351 variant may be partially or completely resistant to certain monoclonal SARS-CoV-2 antibodies currently approved for use as therapeutics in the United States.
Recognition of all new variants, including a new emerging strain (20C / S: 452R) in California, requires systematic evaluation, according to the authors. The emergence of these variants reminds us that as long as SARS-CoV-2 continues to spread, it has the potential to evolve into new variants, the authors point out. Therefore, the fight against SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 requires robust surveillance, tracking and global deployment of vaccines.
The authors also point out the need for a pan-coronavirus vaccine. Once researchers know more about how the virus changes as it spreads, it may be possible to develop a vaccine that protects against most or all of its variants. While similar research programs already exist for other diseases, such as influenza, the changing nature of SARS-CoV-2 indicates that they will be needed for this virus.
Article
JR Mascola et alSARS-COV-2 Viral variants – Tackling a moving target. JAMA DOI: 10.1001 / jama.2021.2088 (2021).
WHO
NIAID Director Anthony S. Fauci, MD, John R. Mascola, MD, Director of the NIAID Vaccine Research Center (VRC); and Barney S. Graham, MD, PhD, deputy director of NIAID’s VRC, are available for comment.
NIAID conducts and supports research – at NIH, in the United States and worldwide – to study the causes of infectious and immune-mediated diseases and to develop better tools to prevent, diagnose and treat these diseases. News releases, fact sheets and other NIAID-related material are available on the NIAID website.
About the National Institutes of Health (NIH):
NIH, the national medical research agency, includes 27 institutes and centers and is part of the United States Department of Health and Human Services. NIH is the premier federal agency that conducts and supports basic, clinical, and translational medical research, investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov.
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