To resist the new crown mutation, "Science" released a vaccine to strengthen the protection of primates

▎Editor of WuXi AppTec's content team A few days ago, the top academic journal Science published a research paper on the new coronavirus vaccine, which provided new evidence for the vaccine booster to prevent mutant new coronavirus
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This preclinical study showed that six months after the macaque was vaccinated with the new crown vaccine mRNA-1273, the third dose of the mRNA vaccine can enhance the animal's antibody response, especially the neutralizing activity of the antibody against the mutant virus
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The researchers pointed out that the booster needle induced a strong immune memory response and potentially longer-lasting immunity
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This animal experiment was led by a research team from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) six months ago
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At that time, the new crown mutant strain "Beta" was causing people's concerns
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This mutant strain was first discovered in South Africa and showed the ability to escape immunity, that is to say, it may reduce the effectiveness of the vaccine
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Some subsequent experimental evidence also showed that the beta strain is more resistant to neutralizing antibodies than the Delta strain, which has a higher transmission capacity today
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On the other hand, months have passed since several new crown vaccines were authorized for emergency use
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For the first batch of people vaccinated, the neutralizing antibody in the body gradually weakened the response to the mutant strain
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Whether the vaccine can still be protected continuously has also become a worrying issue
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WuXi AppTec's content team mapping.
As new mutant virus strains continue to spread, is it necessary to inoculate booster shots? To answer this question, the researchers evaluated the immune response of non-human primates
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Six months after the experimental macaques received two doses of mRNA-1273 vaccine, the researchers injected them with two booster shots
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One is still a mRNA-1273 vaccine designed to target the original new coronavirus strain, and the other is a slightly modified mRNA-1273-β vaccine against the beta strain
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Experimental results show that the two booster needles can enhance the antibody response equally effectively, and the vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies lasted for at least 8 weeks
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Nine weeks after the third injection, the researchers conducted a challenge experiment with the beta strain
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The results showed that the reinforced needle produced a high level of protection
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No virus was detected in the lower respiratory tract of the animal, indicating that virus replication was completely inhibited; while in the upper respiratory tract, virus replication was also greatly inhibited, and the viral load detected in the nasal swab was significantly reduced
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The researchers concluded that these experimental results support the promotion of vaccines among high-risk groups-the elderly, people with congenital health problems, high-risk contacts, and people who have not responded well to the original vaccination to reduce the possibility of infection and transmission
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Reference: [1] Protection against SARS-CoV-2 beta variant in mRNA-1273 vaccine–boosted nonhuman primates.
Science.
Doi: 10.
1126/science.
abl8912[2] COVID vaccine booster increases antibody responses, is protective in rhesus macaques.
Retrieved Oct.
25, 2021 from https:// Evaluating protection against SARS-CoV-2 Beta variant in vaccine-boosted nonhuman primates.
Retrieved Oct.
25, 2021 from https ://