Updated COVID-19 Vaccine Showsโ Durable, Broadโ Antibody โคResponse
Recent researchโฃ published inโ Science and Translational Medicine details the effectivenessโ of the 2023-24 COVID-19 vaccine, formulated to target the XBB.1.5 Omicron โคvariant.The study, conducted โฃwith 24 participants, revealed a remarkably long antibody half-life exceeding 500 days – โคover 16 months – โคpost-vaccination.
Researchers assessed the โฃimmune responseโฃ over six months, focusingโ on memory Bโค cells โข(responsible for recognizing previously encountered โpathogens),โฃ bindingโฃ antibodies (which identify pathogens),โค and neutralizing antibodies โข(which prevent pathogen replication). The โvaccine successfully elicited โฃcross-reactive antibodies โeffective againstโฃ both the original WA1 strain and the Omicron XBB.1.5 variant.
A key difference in the 2023-24 vaccine is its monovalent design. unlike previous bivalent vaccinesโ containing two spike proteins targetingโข both ancestral โand newer strains, this version utilizes a single spike protein โคspecifically designed for the dominant XBB.1.5 Omicron variant.
Participants, โall of whom had previously received โคthe initial ancestralโฃ coronavirus vaccine, experienced a 2.8-foldโข increase in these cross-reactive antibodies. Researchers attribute this toโข immune โimprinting, suggesting prior โvaccination โคenhances โคthe โresponse to updated formulations.
“Our study shows that with a monovalent vaccine targeting dominant coronavirus strains, we โare โmore โคbroadly protected against older strains, as wellโค as more recent ones,” explainedโฃ study โauthor Suthar. “Andโข if something else emerges, we would have an antibodyโ response likely to protect against this newer variant.”
The study underscoresโ the โขongoing need for research given the โฃvirus’s high mutation rate – overโค 12,700 mutations resulting โคin five strains and nearly 400 variants.โฃ Suthar emphasized that continued โvaccination with updated formulasโข is โcrucial, โฃas the virus’s transmission cycle and emergence of new variants can undermine โคvaccine effectiveness.
The research โคalso highlights the importance of vaccination for โvulnerable populations. COVID-19 can significantly impair mitochondrial function,impacting โขorgans like the heart,kidneys,liver,and โขlymph nodes,and increasing the risk of severe illness for the elderly andโ individuals โwith pre-existing conditionsโฃ such as cancer,blood disorders,autoimmune diseases,stroke,obesity,and heart,kidney,lung,or liver issues.
suthar โคaffirmed the safety โof COVID-19 vaccines, noting โthat โeven individuals with healthy immune systems benefit from protection against hospitalization, mortality, and long COVID-19.
The study was a collaborative effort involving researchers from Emory University,the NIH,Stanford,and the CDC,and was funded by the National Institutes of โขHealth,National โInstitute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering,Emory Executive Viceโค President for โขHealth โAffairs Synergy โFund,Woodruff health Sciences Center,and the Pediatric researchโ Allianceโ Center for Childhood Infections and Vaccines,among other sources.
