The COVID-19 vaccine known as CoVac-1 and developed by a team of scientists from the German University of Tübingen (in the federal state of Baden-Württemberg), has been shown to produce a strong response of white blood cells – or T cells – in all 36 participants during their first trial phase, offering new hope to people with compromised immune systems.
Unlike the antibody response, elicited by the well-known COVID-19 vaccines, and others that directly target specific pathogens in the body, T cells are white blood cells that attack and neutralize infected cells.
This secondary immunization response is potentially vital for patients with compromised immune systems (people with diabetes and autoimmune diseases), for whom existing vaccines on the market offer weaker levels of protection against severe disease.
Transplant recipients, for example, receive treatment to block the activity of antibodies and prevent their bodies from rejecting the organ that has been transplanted to them.
In these and other cases, such as cancer patients, bypassing the antibody response and targeting T cells may be the best way to generate an immune response to COVID-19.
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Participants in the trial in question were between the ages of 18 and 80 and received a single dose of the vaccine.
“CoVac-1 showed a favorable safety profile and induced broad and potent T cell responses,” the study notes, noting that the results were the same when tested against COVID variants.
The team reported that the strength of the T-cell response elicited by the vaccine was stronger than that seen by coronavirus infection.
According to research published in Nature, the effects of the injection lasted up to three months.
The report notes that the very preliminary results support phase two trials already underway in immunocompromised patients.
Phase two trials often contain larger clusters than phase one and will likely provide important data on the efficacy and safety of the vaccine for all types of patients.
“CoVac-1 could serve as a (complementary) vaccine … particularly in elderly and immunocompromised people with reduced ability to generate a sufficient immune response after vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 with currently approved vaccines,” the study added. .
ee (afp / Nature)
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