An international team of scientists has identified antibodies that neutralize the omicron variant of the coronavirus. Based on the discovery, it is possible to create a universal vaccine against COVID-19 that will work despite virus mutations.
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To find the right antibodies, the researchers went through the many options that were formed in vaccinated and recovering people. Those who have been vaccinated with Sputnik V or Sinopharm, as well as a one-component vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, there were practically no neutralizing antibodies to omicron. In the vaccinated Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech and AstraZeneca, the picture was similar: the neutralizing activity of antibodies decreased by 20-40 times, although this turned out to be better than other vaccines.
People who were infected with earlier strains of COVID-19 also lacked effective protection against omicron. Even if they were vaccinated after the illness, neutralizing antibodies were not enough. Only those who received the third, booster dose of the Moderna or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine had relatively high levels of antibodies.
When the scientists analyzed all the antibodies that had formed against earlier versions of the virus, they were able to find four classes that were effective against omicron. All these antibodies turned out to be targeted at the same part of the virus, which is present not only in different variants of SARS-CoV-2, but also in other coronaviruses. No matter how many mutations a virus acquires, it is this region that remains unchanged, because it is very important for its functioning. A vaccine that can form antibodies to this “preserved” site will be effective against any variant of COVID-19.
Earlier, a similar universal vaccine was announced against influenza. It also aims to produce antibodies to an unchanged section of the virus, which is repeated in all its strains and types.
According to the latest data, patients with omicron are 40% less likely to go to the hospital and generally tolerate the disease more easily than those infected with other strains. However, the strain is rapidly spreading around the world. Scientists have found that it is 2.4 times better able to bind to our cells than the original version.
In total, the omicron has about 37 mutations that it uses to invade cells. This unusually high number of variations may be due to the fact that this variant of the virus developed in a person with a weakened immune system. There is also a version that the omicron was formed as a result of the “transfer” of the virus from humans to animals and vice versa.