Scientists discover antibody that protects against all variants of Covid-19

Scientists have discovered an antibody capable of neutralizing all variants of Sars-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19 . Called SC27, the antibody was discovered and isolated from a single patient by researchers from different institutions led by the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. The news was published in the scientific journal Cell Reports Medicine in August.

The team isolated the antibody as part of a new study of hybrid immunity — a combination of infection and vaccination — to the Covid-19 virus. Using technology developed over several years of antibody research, the researchers obtained the exact molecular sequence of the antibody, opening up the possibility of “manufacturing” it on a larger scale for future treatments.

“The discovery of SC27 and other similar antibodies in the future will help us better protect the population against current and future COVID variants,” says Jason Lavinder, research assistant professor in the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering at the Cockrell School of Engineering and one of the leaders of the new researchin press release.

Since the Covid-19 virus was discovered, it has evolved rapidly and, with each new variant, it becomes resistant to developed vaccines and treatments. Therefore, the goal of the current research is to develop a universal vaccine that can generate antibodies and an immune response with broad protection against the virus and its mutations.

How was the study done?

Antibodies bind to a part of the virus called the spike protein, which acts as a docking point for the virus to attach itself to and infect the body’s cells. By blocking the spike protein, antibodies prevent this interaction and therefore also prevent infection.

The SC27 antibody recognized the different characteristics of the spike proteins in the different variants of Covid-19. Researchers at the University of Texas, who were the first to decode the structure of the original spike protein, investigated the capabilities of SC27 in neutralizing the variants of the virus.

To isolate the antibody, they used a technology called Ig-Seq, which gives researchers a more detailed look at the antibody response to infection and vaccination, using a combination of single-cell DNA sequencing and proteomics.

In addition to the antibody discovery, the research revealed that hybrid immunity offers greater antibody-based protection against future exposure compared to infection or vaccination alone.

Why don’t some people get Covid?

This content was originally published in Scientists discover antibody that protects against all variants of Covid-19 on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil

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