Scientists have compared blood samples taken before the pandemic with samples from those who have recovered from COVID-19
Antibodies against the common cold can neutralize COVID-19 and could lead to the creation of a vaccine that protects against all coronaviruses, suggests a new study in which scientists compared blood samples taken before the pandemic with blood samples from people infected with COVID-19.
A new study suggests that antibodies produced after a cold can neutralize the virus that causes COVID-19, writes the Daily Mail, pointing out that both the common cold and SARS-CoV-2 belong to the family of coronaviruses that cause upper respiratory illness.
However, the newspaper notes, it was believed that antibodies that respond to common coronaviruses did not work against the virus that leads to COVID-19.
But in blood samples from people who have had COVID, the researchers found a high level of immune cells formed during a cold, which “remember” the disease and take action if the threat of the disease returns.
A team from the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, California, believes the findings could help scientists develop a vaccine or treatment with antibodies that protect against all coronaviruses.
Scientists have discovered that the antibody is produced by a cell in the immune system known as the memory B cell. As the Daily Mail explains, memory B cells are fixed to the surface of invading pathogens and tagged for destruction by other immune cells. They can also circulate in the bloodstream for years – even decades – and the immune system can trigger them if another infection occurs.
For the study, published in the journal Nature Communications, the team examined blood samples from participants before the pandemic and during the pandemic. “By examining blood samples collected before the pandemic and comparing them to samples from people who had COVID-19, we were able to pinpoint the types of antibodies that cross-react with benign coronaviruses as well as SARS-CoV-2,” says the researcher. Dr. Rayes Andrabi.
The results of the study showed that the levels of antibodies to memory B cells were higher in blood samples from people infected with COVID-19 than those who were never infected. Scientists believe this suggests that exposure to a non-serious coronavirus could stimulate antibody production when infected with a more serious coronavirus.
Tests showed that the antibody also neutralized SARS-CoV-1, the coronavirus that causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and is considered the “cousin” of COVID-19.
“We were able to determine that this type of cross-reactive antibody is likely produced by a memory B cell that was initially exposed to the coronavirus that causes the common cold and then triggered during COVID-19 infection,” Andrabi told News Medical.
The researchers then examined how the antibody could neutralize several different types of coronaviruses. They found that the antibody binds to the base of the spike protein (S protein) on coronaviruses, which they use to invade and infect cells.
Study co-author Dr. Dennis Burton says the discovery is important for understanding how to protect yourself from future coronaviruses. “Another deadly coronavirus is likely to reappear in the future, and when that happens, we want to be better prepared,” Burton told News Medical. “Our identification of a cross-reactive antibody against SARS-CoV-2 and the more common coronaviruses is a promising step towards a broad-spectrum vaccine or therapy.”
.