Despite the high vaccination rate, many vaccinated people – some even more than once – contract Covid-19. Researchers in Vienna have now discovered why this is and why only the amount of antibodies in the body is not meaningful. And they discovered a previously unknown vulnerability in the pathogen SARS-CoV-2.
Previous studies have already shown that the amount of antibodies collected alone is not useful for an assessment of protection against new corona infections. In a study, a team led by Rudolf Valenta and Pia Gattinger from the Center for Pathophysiology, Infectious Diseases and Immunology identified a previously unknown “Achilles’ heel” of SARS-CoV-2 by determining neutralizing antibodies in vaccinated people.
Contrary to popular belief, the researchers found that not only the presence of the antibodies is decisive for protection against new infections, but especially whether the antibodies involved are sufficiently neutralizing. Only these prevent the virus from settling in human cells.
Previously unknown epitope discovered
And the team led by Valenta and Gattinger also discovered that the ability to fight the coronavirus is linked to the binding of neutralizing antibodies against a previously unknown epitope (a specific region on the virus surface, ed.).
Unmodified part of the virus as “Achilles’ heel”
Interestingly, this is a spot on the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen that has not changed at all in the different virus variants (delta, omicron, etc.), i.e. a so-called conserved spot, the scientists report in the “International Journal of Molecular Sciences “. .
According to the MedUni Vienna, the finding is relevant for the production of improved Covid vaccines to use such epitopes for production. Since this part of the coronavirus has remained unchanged so far despite hundreds of mutations, it is almost an “Achilles’ heel” of the Covid-19 pathogen.
Source: Krone
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