In case a SARS-CoV-3 shows up soon.
Over the past twenty years, several coronaviruses have caused quite a stir. First the original SARS virus appeared in 2002, followed by the MERS coronavirus in 2012. And now we are still dealing with the consequences of the outbreak of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which caused a worldwide pandemic. Time to be one step ahead of such coronaviruses, scientists argue. And so they are working on a universal corona vaccine.
Threat
Although no one knows which virus could cause the next outbreak, coronaviruses remain a real threat. That’s because we know that bats and other animals carry different coronaviruses. These do not appear to be harmful to the bats themselves, but can pose a danger to other animals if the viruses are allowed to jump between species. Scientists have previously warned that some relatives of SARS-CoV-2 could also infect humans in the future.
Universal corona vaccine
According to the researchers, the outbreaks of SARS-CoV in 2002 and SARS-CoV-2 in 2019 emphasize the need to look for a universal corona vaccine. Because with such a vaccine we can avert another pandemic and nip the outbreak of, for example, a SARS-CoV-3 in the bud. Such a universal corona vaccine should then not only work against the current coronavirus, but also target sarbecoviruses: the broader subgenus.
Approach
In the new study the researchers focused on mRNA. You may know this term from the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines (see box). But instead of recording the mRNA code for just one virus, the researchers welded mRNA from multiple coronaviruses together.
More about the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines
The vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna do not harbor attenuated or dead SARS-CoV-2, but messenger RNA (mRNA). This is a molecule that contains the genetic instructions for making the distinctive spike proteins, found on the outside of the virus. After vaccination, our cells start working with these instructions and produce these spike proteins, after which our body can make antibodies against them. It is a very new approach, which is particularly promising in the case of COVID-19, because mRNA vaccines can be produced much faster than traditional vaccines. It is also easier to scale up and produce large quantities of the vaccines.
To study whether this universal corona vaccine really works, the researchers gave it to mice. Indeed, the mice were found to produce neutralizing antibodies to multiple spike proteins (which the viruses use to attach to healthy cells). As a result, the animals were even protected against the South African corona variant.
Promising
They are promising results. Because it means that scientists may have developed a universal corona vaccine that is effective not only against the fight against COVID-19, but also against all its variants. Moreover, such a vaccine could even avert another coronavirus pandemic. “The vaccine has the potential to prevent outbreaks once a new variant is discovered,” said researcher Ralph Baric.
After some additional experiments, the universal corona vaccine may already be tested in humans next year. “Our findings look rosy,” said study researcher David Martinez. “Our study suggests that we may indeed be able to design a universal vaccine that proactively protects us against viruses that we know can potentially infect humans. And with this strategy, we may even be able to prevent a SARS-CoV-3 outbreak.”
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