MADRID, 22 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) –
Scientists from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina (United States) have developed a universal vaccine that protects mice not only against COVID-19 but also against other coronaviruses and activates the immune system to fight a dangerous variant.
Although no one knows which virus may cause the next outbreak, coronaviruses remain a threat after causing the SARS outbreak in 2003 and the global COVID-19 pandemic. To prevent a future coronavirus pandemic, these researchers designed the vaccine to provide protection against the current SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and a group of coronaviruses known to make the leap from animals to humans.
After testing the effectiveness of the first generation of COVID-19 vaccines, they went on to look for a second generation vaccine: one that targets sarbecoviruses. Sarbecoviruses, which are part of the large family of coronaviruses, are a priority for virologists after two caused devastating diseases in the past two decades: SARS and COVID-19.
The team’s approach started with mRNA, which is similar to the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines currently in use. But instead of including the code for the mRNA of a single virus, they joined the mRNA of several coronaviruses.
When administered to mice, the hybrid vaccine effectively generated neutralizing antibodies against multiple spike proteins, which viruses use to adhere to healthy cells, including one associated with B.1.351, known as the South African variant. “The vaccine has the potential to prevent outbreaks when used when a new variant is detected,” explain the authors, whose work has been published in the journal Science.
“Our findings are promising for the future because they suggest that we can design more universal pan-coronavirus vaccines to proactively protect ourselves against viruses that we know are at risk of emerging in humans. With this strategy, we may be able to prevent SARS. -CoV-3, “concludes lead author David R. Martínez.
–
