One way messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines provide robust protection against the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is by creating memory B cells that can detect the spike protein. Previous work has shown that the COVID-19 vaccine induces a robust germinal center response. When there is antigenic stimulation, naive…
Scientists describe SARS-CoV-2 uptake in tissue-resident human macrophages enhanced by virus-specific antibodies
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), causes mild to severe infection in humans, and to date, it has claimed more than 4.77 million lives across the world. This virus is the causative agent of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that has devastated the economy and health care…
Creating ‘elite’ antibodies at a pace that keeps up with pandemic, coronavirus variants
Japanese scientists created “elite” antibodies that defeat various coronavirus variants even at an extremely low dose through a new method that accelerated the months-long process of finding such extraordinary antibody candidates to just ten days. Our bodies produce specific antibodies to thwart invading pathogens. Some of these antibodies are the…
SARS-CoV-2 Spike may trigger production of antibodies that cross-react with human thrombopoietin to induce thrombocytopenia
Scientists have stated that molecular mimicry between human proteins and pathogens can incorrectly lead to antibodies attacking human proteins. Such an occurrence can cause transient or chronic autoimmune disorders. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected individuals often suffer from thrombocytopenia, a condition associated with low platelet counts. The cytokine…
Researchers isolate human monoclonal antibodies that may neutralize several norovirus variants
Researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas, have taken a big step toward developing targeted treatments and vaccines against a family of viruses that attacks the gastrointestinal tract. Each year in the United States circulating strains of the human norovirus are…
COVID-19 vaccination induces highly variable immunity among the immunocompromised
Researchers in the United States have conducted a study showing that the humoral (antibody) immunity induced by vaccination against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) – varies significantly among immunocompromised individuals. The findings come from an interim analysis of an…
Antibodies produced in the lung can prevent respiratory infections from becoming severe
Only a small subset of people who get a lung infection go on to become very sick yet who will become severely ill or why is unclear. This is now widely recognized in the context of COVID-19, where most people have mild or no illness while others with the same…
Early treatment may prevent clotting in COVID-19 vaccine-related thrombocytopenia
An extremely rare syndrome has been reported in people who were vaccinated against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – blood clots occur at unexpected places in the body, accompanied by a low thrombocyte count and clotting disorder. Some vaccine recipients, especially after the administration of the ChAdOx1 nCOV-19…
Study reveals new broadly neutralizing and protective antibody against coronaviruses
In the setting of potentially reduced vaccine efficacy against coronavirus disease (COVID-19) due to emerging viral variants, the deployment of effective treatments based on monoclonal antibodies may be an additional strategy to help control the pandemic. A new study by US researchers, currently available on the bioRxiv* preprint server, describes…
Pregnant women transmit SARS-CoV-2 and vaccine-induced antibodies to fetus
Pregnant women are at high risk for severe COVID-19 infection and death. Yet, insufficient safety data on babies has led many guidelines to leave the decision-making and potential threats to future mothers. While the vaccine trials did not directly test pregnant women, more real-world data suggests the vaccine may provide…
Researchers identify a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant (A.VOI.V2) in southern Africa
A team of international scientists has recently explored the transmission dynamics of currently circulating variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in a southern African country. By analyzing the genomic sequences of these variants, they have identified a novel SARS-CoV-2 variant with multiple spike mutations. They have temporarily…