Scientists from the University of British Columbia have discovered a key flaw in all major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the recently developed sub-variants BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron, reports Nature Communications.
- “SARS-CoV-2 is a highly adaptive virus that has evolved to avoid most existing antibody therapies, as well as much of the immunity provided by vaccines and natural infection,” says Dr. Subramaniam, author of the study
- As he explains, the study reveals its weak point, which is largely unchanged in all variants and can be easily neutralized by an antibody fragment
- The discovery has already been called the “Achilles’ heel” of the virus, which can be used by drug manufacturers not only to create effective remedies against the currently dominant variants, but also those that will appear in some time
- More current information can be found on the Onet homepage.
This weakness could potentially be exploited by neutralizing antibodies, paving the way for treatments that are effective against all variants of the coronavirus.
The team led by Dr. Srirama Subramaniama used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal at the atomic level the structure of a sensitive site on the viral spike protein. This fragment is referred to as an epitope. At the same time, scientists described the VH Ab6 antibody, a fragment of which is able to attach to the viral epitope and neutralize it completely.
“SARS-CoV-2 is a highly adaptive virus that has evolved to avoid most existing antibody therapies, as well as much of the immunity provided by vaccines and natural infection,” says Dr. Subramaniam. – Our study reveals a weak point that is largely unchanged in all variants and can be easily neutralized by an antibody fragment ».
“This is a good ground for designing a variety of therapies and treatments that have the potential to help many at risk,” she emphasizes.
Antibodies are molecules naturally produced by our body to fight infection, but they can also be produced in the laboratory and given to patients later. While several antibody therapies for COVID-19 have already been developed, their effectiveness has always declined sharply in the face of new, highly mutated variants such as Omikron.
«Antibodies attach to the virus in a very specific way; they fit like a key to a lock. So when the virus mutates, the key no longer matches, Subramaniam explains. – So we were looking for universal keys; antibodies that neutralize the virus even after extensive mutations ».
Such a universal key identified in the described study turned out to be a fragment of the VH Ab6 antibody. Experiments confirmed its effectiveness against the variants Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron. The fragment neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by attaching to an epitope on the spike protein and blocking the virus from entering human cells.
«The epitope we describe in this publication is not covered by the so-called mutation hotspots, therefore it is preserved in a very similar or unchanged form in different variants, says the author of the study. – Now that we have managed to describe its structure in detail, completely new treatment options have opened up for us ».
According to Dr. Subramaniam, this specific “Achilles heel” of the virus, can be used by drug manufacturers not only to create effective measures against the currently dominant variants, but also against those that will appear in some time.
At medonetmarket.pl you will find home tests for SARS-CoV-2:
- COVID-19 Rapid Test – Antigenic Test for Self-Control
- COVID-19 antigen test – SGTi-flex COVID-19 Ag
- Home COVID-19 Ag SGTi-flex cartridge test
- COVID-19 – Rapid Saliva Antigen Test
«We have obtained a complete picture of this vulnerable place. We know every interaction that a spike protein can make with an antibody in this very region. So we can develop a ton of different antibody therapies, concludes Subramaniam. “And having broadly effective, multi-variant drugs would completely change the rules of the game in an ongoing pandemic.”
Author: Katarzyna Czechowicz