A scientific discovery shows that some people are protected from Covid infection thanks to cells developed after a cold.
People with colds are less likely to get Covid than others.
That is, in any case, the conclusion of a scientific study by British researchers from Imperial College London, who with this discovery emphasized the importance of T cells in covid infection.
Study of 52 people
The study started in September 2020, when most people in the UK had not been vaccinated or had been vaccinated against Covid.
The researchers called 52 people who lived with a person infected with the virus, confirmed by the polymerase chain reaction, and were thus exposed to the virus.
The participants underwent PCR testing initially, then 4 days and 7 days later, to determine whether or not they were infected.
Blood samples were taken from all 52 participants within 1 to 6 days of exposure to the virus. This allowed the researchers to analyze the levels of pre-existing T cells.
The researchers found that there were significantly higher levels of these reactive T cells in the 26 people who didn’t have the infection, compared with the 26 people who did.
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The results of this study were published in Nature this Monday January 10th Thanks to this new specific agent, it could even become possible to develop a universal vaccine.
A clear protective role
In fact, this study offers a demonstration: protective role T cells.
from lymphocytes Developed during infection with another coronavirus, such as the common cold Meet covidThat was proven a few months ago.
But this new study provides evidence that these lymphocytes, T cells It can fully protect against covid infection.
The researchers’ main premise before starting this study was knowledge Why some people didn’t get Covid when they were exposed like this Especially if you live with an infected person.
“Exposure to Covid generally does not lead to infection And pre-existing T cells, equipped with endemic human coronaviruses, could protect people not yet infected with Covid. “
Only the vaccine protects
The researchers’ interest in this study is clear on one point and they were eager to clarify it in an interview with himImperial College London : This is just a scientific discovery, but it is not a protection against Covid.
Today, only a vaccine can protect against this infection.
Towards a universal vaccine?
Combined with a scientific explanation that could explain that some people will at some point be better protected from infection than others, this discovery on T cells could allow Vaccine Design with this data.
The scientists showed that the T cells target the proteins inside Covid, rather than the spike protein found on the surface of the virus, the infamous spike protein, to protect against infection.
Current vaccines do not elicit an immune response against these endogenous proteins.
The researchers argue that these endogenous proteins, along with our currently effective vaccines that target skeletal proteins, provide a new target for a vaccine that could provide long-term protection, as T-cell responses last longer than antibody responses that wane several months afterward. vaccination.
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