A study led by The University of Texas at Austin has identified SC27, an antibody capable of neutralizing all known variants of the COVID-19 virus, opening prospects for universal vaccine development and improved treatments amid ongoing viral evolution.
Researchers have identified an antibody capable of neutralizing all known strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, and several other SARS-like coronaviruses found in different animals.
As part of a new study on hybrid immunity to the virus, the large, multi-institution research team led by The University of Texas at Austin discovered and isolated a broadly neutralizing plasma antibody, called SC27, from a single patient. Using technology developed over several years of research into antibody response, the team led by UT engineers and scientists obtained the exact molecular sequence of the antibody, opening the possibility of manufacturing it on a larger scale for future treatments.
“The discovery of SC27, and other antibodies like it in the future, will help us better protect the population against current and future COVID variants,” said Jason Lavinder, a research assistant professor in the Cockrell School of Engineering’s McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering and one of the leaders of the new research, which was recently published in Cell Reports Medicine.
Evolution of COVID-19 and the Role of SC27
During the more than four years since the discovery of COVID-19, the virus that causes it has rapidly evolved. Each new variant has displayed different characteristics, many of which made them more resistant to vaccines and other treatments.
Protective antibodies bind to a part of the virus called the spike protein that acts as an anchor point for the virus to attach to and infect the cells in the body. By blocking the spike protein, the antibodies prevent this interaction and, therefore, also prevent infection.
SC27 recognized the different characteristics of the spike proteins in the many COVID variants. Fellow UT researchers, who were the first to decode the structure of the original spike protein and paved the way for vaccines and other treatments, verified SC27’s capabilities.
The technology used to isolate the antibody, termed Ig-Seq, gives researchers a closer look at the antibody response to infection and vaccination using a combination of single-cell DNA sequencing and proteomics.
Toward a Universal Vaccine
“One goal of this research, and vaccinology in general, is to work toward a universal vaccine that can generate antibodies and create an immune response with broad protection to a rapidly mutating virus,” said Will Voss, a recent Ph.D. graduate in cell and molecular biology in UT’s College of Natural Sciences, who co-led the study.
In addition to the discovery of this antibody, the research found that hybrid immunity — a combination of both infection and vaccination — offers increased antibody-based protection against future exposure compared with infection or vaccination alone.
The work comes amid another summer COVID spike. This trend shows that while the worst of the pandemic may have passed, there’s still a need for innovative solutions to help people avoid and treat the virus.
Reference: “Hybrid immunity to SARS-CoV-2 arises from serological recall of IgG antibodies distinctly imprinted by infection or vaccination” by William N. Voss, Michael L. Mallory, Patrick O. Byrne, Jeffrey M. Marchioni, Sean A. Knudson, John M. Powers, Sarah R. Leist, Bernadeta Dadonaite, Douglas R. Townsend, Jessica Kain, Yimin Huang, Ed Satterwhite, Izabella N. Castillo, Melissa Mattocks, Chelsea Paresi, Jennifer E. Munt, Trevor Scobey, Allison Seeger, Lakshmanane Premkumar, Jesse D. Bloom, George Georgiou, Jason S. McLellan, Ralph S. Baric, Jason J. Lavinder and Gregory C. Ippolito, 1 August 2024, Cell Reports Medicine.
DOI: 10.1016/j.xcrm.2024.101668
The researchers have filed a patent application for SC27. Other members of the team from UT are Jason McLellan, Patrick O. Byrne, Sean A. Knudson, Douglas R. Townsend, Jessica Kain, and Yimin Huang of the Department of Molecular Biosciences; George Georgiou, Ed Satterwhite, and Allison Seeger of the McKetta Department of Chemical Engineering; Jeffrey M. Marchioni of the Department of Biomedical Engineering; and Chelsea Paresi of the Department of Chemistry. Team members from other institutions include Greg Ippolito of the Texas Biomedical Research Institute; Ralph S. Baric, Michael A. Mallory, John M. Powers, Sarah R. Leist, Jennifer E. Munt and Trevor Scobey of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Department of Epidemiology; Izabella N. Castillo, Melissa Mattocks and Premkumar Lakshmanane of UNC’s Department of Microbiology and Immunology; and Bernadeta Dadonaite and Jesse D. Bloom of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. The research team received funding from the National Institutes of Health and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
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7 Comments
That’s what they’ve been saying for all previous vaccines, too
No. They haven’t. All along for COVID they’ve been hoping to find something that all of the strains have in common which doesn’t mutate. Those vaccines targeted the predominate strains at the time. Even the work at University of Wisconsin pursuing a universal vaccine places multiple markers in the vaccine for spike proteins of the various strains. Both this research, and that on the subunit RBD protein are promising because they target parts of the virus that are conserved between mutations.
I was referring to the claims made in the mainstream media at the time. They claimed they had the vaccine(s) for COVID, period. That was before they realised the thing was mutating so rapidly and diversely. Whey they finally caught up, they claimed the vaccine is good against the variants, too, particularly if you take it twice or thrice.
But it doesn’t matter for the point I was trying to make. And the point is: don’t hold your breath about this new concoction. It’s been manufactured by the same lying bastards as the previous ones.
“The researchers have filed a patent application for SC27.” Everything else is sales pitch.
I am unvaxxed for Covid and intend to remain so. However, if this vaccine wasn’t mRNA based, I would be willing to consider it.
Although I may be functionally immune to Covid now as I just went through my 2nd bout with the infection in July. Like the first, no major symptoms, no worse than mild flu.
Please, don’t consider it at all.
Remember that up until the COVID panic, it was a common knowledge that it’s impossible to create a reliable and effective antiviral vaccine. For any type of coronavirus (not just the SarsCov). To wit, shots against common flu were, and still are, distributed every season anew. So, there’s no reason to believe that the pharmaceutical corporations all of a sudden managed to nail it for a completely novel virus.
And also remember that all the vaccines owe their totem status to the vaccine against polio. That was the only vaccine ever to see a worldwide success. And, despite it being an anti-bacterial vaccine (which are known to actually BE effective), it’s wielding so much clout in the public cosnciousness that anything named “vaccine” automatically gets elevated by mere association. In reality, not even the polio vaccine is all it’s cracked up to be.
So just stand aside, look to build your immunity the natural way, like I do, and you should be fine. cCheers.
How about this time they actually run trials and show all the data, instead of stopping them early and not releasing the data? Then in about 5 years we’ll know the true cost/benefit.