South Korean scientists have discovered that when the immune system encounters an infection with the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, it acquires enhanced immunity against future versions of that strain, it was announced today.
The discovery was announced in a statement by the Institute of Basic Science (IBS) in South Korea, and the study was published on the 12th in the scientific journal Science Immunology.
A team of researchers led by Professor Shin Eui-Cheol from the Center for Viral Immunology at the Korea Virus Research Institute, which is part of IBS, found that “memory T cells (T cells) that are produced after Omicron infection respond to subsequent strains. consequences of the virus.”
According to scientists, after infection or vaccination, the body produces neutralizing antibodies and memory T cells against the virus. The neutralizing antibody serves to prevent the virus and memory T cells from infecting host cells, although they cannot prevent infection, they can quickly find and destroy infected cells, preventing the viral infection from developing into serious disease.
Four years since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic was not enough to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 as new variants of the coronavirus continually emerged. The statement said infections were common despite extensive vaccination programs.
Omicron emerged in late 2021 and significantly increased the transmissibility of the virus compared to variants that preceded it, “allowing it to become the dominant strain in 2022.”
Since then, Omicron sub-variants have appeared such as BA.1 and BA.2, BA.4/BA.5, BQ., XBB and, most recently, JN.1.
The goal of the now published work was to “detect changes that occur in the immune system (…) after post-vaccination infection,” and the researchers focused on memory T cells that were produced after Omicron infection, given that previous studies of this variants have focused primarily on vaccine efficacy or neutralizing antibodies, and that research related to these cells has been “comparatively sparse.”
The team recruited patients who had recovered from infection with the Omicron BA.2 strain in early 2022 and studied their “memory T cells”, particularly their ability to respond to other Omicron variants such as BA.2, BA.4/ BA/5. and others”.
To do this, the researchers isolated immune cells from people’s peripheral blood and measured the production of cytokines (proteins secreted by the cells) and the antiviral activity of memory T cells in response to “spike proteins” (spikes on the surface of the virus). ) different options.
“The results of the analysis showed that memory T cells from these subjects had an enhanced response not only against the BA.2 subvariant, but also against Omicron’s BA.4 and BA.5.” Thanks to the infection, the patients’ immune systems were strengthened to fight future strains of the same virus.
The scientists also discovered a specific part of the protein that the body produces during the development of immunity induced by mRNA (messenger ribonucleic acid) vaccines and which is the main reason for the improvement seen in memory T cells.
According to the team, “These results indicate that it is unlikely that a person infected with Omicron will ever suffer severe Covid-19 symptoms due to future variants.”
“This discovery gives us new insight into the recent era of endemic Covid,” study leader Jeong Min-kyung said as quoted in the statement.
He added that “it can be understood that in response to the constant emergence of new variants, the body is also adapting to combat future strains of the virus.”
Shin Eui-Chul believes that “the new discovery could also be used in vaccine development,” explaining that “by looking for common characteristics between the current dominant strain and new variants of the virus, there may be a greater chance of inducing T-cell protection.” memory versus subsequent options.”
On August 30, 2023, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the registration of a vaccine adapted to the XBB.1.5 subvariant of the Omicron strain of SARS-CoV-2.
The vaccine, known as Comirnaty Omicron XBB.1.5, was intended to prevent Covid-19 in adults and children aged six months and older.
About two weeks earlier, the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) classified Omicron recombinant strains as variants of concern, warning of an increase in the spread and transmission of Covid-19 in Europe.
Covid-19 is a respiratory disease caused by SARS-CoV-2, a type of virus discovered in late 2019 in China that has spread rapidly around the world, taking on multiple variants and subvariants, some more contagious than others.
The disease was classified as a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and in May 2023 it was no longer considered an international public health emergency.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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