Current Covid-19 vaccines may be less effective against Beta variant, says study
The research team now analyzes other variant structures that are a concern, including Delta variants (B.1.617.2), first identified in India.
A study of the SARS-COV-2 surge protein, the virus that caused Covid-19, has indicated that the current vaccine may be less effective against the beta variant. Present on the SARS-COV-2 surface, a surge protein allows a virus to be attached to and enter human cells, and all vaccines are currently directed towards them, he said.
The study, published in the journal Science on June 24, used the Cryo-EM microscope (Cryo-em) to compare the protein of a surge from the original virus found in China in 2019 with the beta variant and the Alfa variant was first identified in the United Kingdom. Cryo-em is an imaging technique used to determine the structure of biomolecules at resolution approaching atoms.
The findings led by researchers at the Boston Child Hospital in the United States showed that mutations in the Beta variant, also known as B.1351, changed the shape of the spike surface in certain locations. As a result, the neutralization antibodies induced by the Covid-19 vaccine are currently less able to bind the beta virus, which allows it to avoid the immune system even when people are vaccinated.
“Mutations make antibodies stimulated by vaccines today are less effective. The beta variant is rather resistant to the current vaccine, and we think booster with a new genetic sequence can be useful to protect this variant,” said Bing Chen, from the molecular treatment division in Boston Children’s.
The researchers also found that mutations in beta variants made a surge in less effective and thus this variant was less contagious than the alpha variant. However, testing shows that antibodies obtained with existing vaccines can still neutralize this variant, according to researchers.
The research team now analyzes other variant structures that are a concern, including Delta variants (B.1.617.2), first identified in India.
