Researchers discover antibodies that can neutralize Omicron, future variants

New research has shed light on possible antibodies that can neutralize the Omicron variant and other mutants of coronavirus by targeting areas of the virus protein that remain unchanged during its mutation. The results of the study were published in the journal Nature, which may help develop vaccines that will act as an immunity shield against the Omicron variant and other future COVID-19 variants. 

Researchers discover antibodies that can neutralize Omicron variant

"This finding tells us that by focusing on antibodies that target these highly conserved sites on the spike protein, there is a way to overcome the virus' continual evolution," said David Veesler, who is an associate professor at the University of Washington School of Medicine in the US.

It has been found that the Omicron virus has a total of 37 mutations in the spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells. It is believed that the 'unusually high number of mutations' is the reason why the new variant has been able to spread so rapidly, sweeping the world. The virus easily infects people who have been vaccinated and even reinfects those who have previously been infected.

"The main questions we were trying to answer were: how has this constellation of mutations in the spike protein of the omicron variant affected its ability to bind to cells and to evade the immune system's antibody responses," Veesler said. 

The researchers engineered a neutralized, non-replicating virus, called 'pseudovirus,' to understand the effects of these mutations. Researchers artificially created high proteins on its surface and created pseudovirus that had spike proteins similar to the new variant and those found on the earliest variants identified in the pandemic.

The scientists first found out how the different versions of the spike protein were able to bind to a protein on the surface of cells. This protein is known as the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) receptor. In the research, it was found that spike protein found in the Omicron variant was able to bind 2.4 times better than other spike proteins present in the initial virus variant of the COVID pandemic. However, this was not a huge increase, but in 2002-2003, during the SARS outbreak, mutations in the spike protein that had higher affinity were connected with increased transmissibility and infectivity.

Researchers' observation

During the research, it was also found that the omicron variant was able to bind to mouse ACE2 receptors efficiently, indicating that the new variant could possibly transmit between humans and other mammals. The researchers then looked to see how antibodies to the previous mutations protected against the Omicron variant. This was done by using antibodies from patients who were infected and recovered from earlier versions of COVID. It was discovered that antibodies found in people had a reduced ability to prevent the COVID new variant.

The researchers observed that antibodies in people who received Sputnik V, Sinopharm, and a single dose of Johnson & Johnson had little or no ability to prevent the virus from entering into the cells. While antibodies from people who had received both jabs of Moderna, Pfizer/BioNTech, and AstraZeneca vaccines had some ability to neutralize the omicron variant. Researchers also conducted several tests to determine the effectiveness of antibodies and came to the conclusion that "a third dose is really helpful against omicron". The study reveals that an antibody called sotrovimab had little capacity to neutralise the new virus. 

(Image: Pixabay, Representative)

(With Inputs from PTI)