The variant contains a mutation thought to help the virus dodge the immune system, scientists said.
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Tag Archives: antibodies
Studies Suggest People Who Had Covid-19 Should Get Single Vaccine Dose
New studies show that one shot of a vaccine can greatly amplify antibody levels in those who have recovered from the coronavirus.
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Past coronavirus infections don’t seem to help with SARS-CoV-2
Enlarge / False color image of viruses attached to a cell’s surface. (credit: NIAID)
While the SARS-CoV-2 virus is new to humans, coronaviruses in general aren’t. There have been earlier members of this group of viruses that have raised pandemic fears, while another group regularly circulates widely in humans, causing symptoms of the common cold.
Early on, there were some indications that prior exposure to cold-causing viruses could produce a degree of protection against COVID-19. But back in December, researchers published results indicating that any cross-reactivity against related viruses by T cells was likely to be ineffective. Now, additional results have been published that indicate antibodies raised against cold viruses fail to neutralize SARS-CoV-2.
Memories
The SARS-CoV-2 virus has a number of features that distinguish it from other coronaviruses that have circulated within humans. But it also has plenty of things in common, like its use of RNA as a genetic material and the general layout of its genome. Some of its genes have also picked up very few changes over the course of evolution. As a result, there are some stretches of genes that are identical in cold viruses and SARS-CoV-2.
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Childhood Colds Do Not Prevent Coronavirus Infection, Study Finds
New research casts doubt on the idea that prior infections with garden-variety coronaviruses might shield some people, particularly children, amid the pandemic.
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Could a Single Vaccine Work Against All Coronaviruses?
Scientists are working on a shot that could protect against Covid-19, its variants, certain seasonal colds — and the next coronavirus pandemic.
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Signs that SARS-CoV-2 is evolving to avoid immune responses
Enlarge / The structure of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. (credit: University of Arkansas)
Over the summer, you could almost hear a sigh of relief rising from the portion of the research community that was tracking the evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Viruses, especially those new to their hosts, often pick up mutations that help them adapt to their new habitat, or they evade drugs or immune attacks. But SARS-CoV-2 seemed to be picking up mutations at a relatively sedate pace, in part because its virus-copying enzymes had a feature that lets them correct some errors.
But suddenly, new variants appear to be everywhere, and a number of them appear to increase the threat posed by the virus. A new study helps explain the apparent difference: while new base changes in the virus’ genetic material remain rare, some deletions of several bases appear to have evolved multiple times, indicating that evolution was selecting for them. The research team behind this new work found evidence that these changes alter how the immune system can respond to the virus.
This looks familiar
The researchers’ interest in deletions started with their involvement with an immunocompromised cancer patient, who held off the infection for over two months without being able to clear the virus. Samples obtained from late in the infection revealed two different virus strains that each had a deletion in the gene encoding the spike protein that SARS-CoV-2 uses to attach to and enter cells.
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The Virus Variant Spreading in Britain May Make Vaccines Less Effective, Study Shows
The highly infectious variant has developed a worrisome mutation, new research has found.
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B.1.1.7 coronavirus variant is picking up a worrisome new mutation
As the world races to get vaccines into arms, one of the most concerning coronavirus variants appears to be getting a little more concerning.
Researchers in the UK have detected at least 15 cases of B.1.1.7 variants carrying an additional mutation: E484K, a mutation already seen in other concerning variants and one that may make current vaccines less effective at preventing infection. The B.1.1.7 variant, first identified in the United Kingdom, is already known to spread more easily among people than earlier strains of the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. And according to some preliminary evidence, it may cause more severe disease.
So far, B.1.1.7 variants carrying E484K appear rare. On Monday, Public Health England reported in a technical briefing that it had detected E484K in just 11 B.1.1.7 variants among more than 200,000 viruses examined. For now, it’s unclear if the augmented mutants will take off and become dominant in the population or fizzle out. It’s also not entirely clear what the addition of E484K means for B.1.1.7 in people. Preliminary laboratory experiments suggest the mutation alone, and its presence in B.1.1.7 specifically, may help the virus evade immune responses. But more studies and clinical data are necessary to understand the full effect of the new addition.
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Evidence Builds That Pregnant Women Pass Covid Antibodies to Newborns
A new study suggests that protective antibodies can be transferred through the placenta, and the baby may receive more of them if a mother is infected with Covid earlier in her pregnancy.
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How the Coronavirus Turns the Body Against Itself
Some patients struggling with Covid-19 develop antibodies against their own tissues, scientists have found.
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Eli Lilly Claims Drug Prevents Coronavirus Infection in Nursing Homes
A monoclonal antibody protected residents and staff members in facilities where the virus had appeared.
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Drug Prevents Coronavirus Infection in Nursing Homes, Maker Claims
A monoclonal antibody protected residents and staff members in facilities where the virus had appeared.
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Emerging Coronavirus Variants May Pose Challenges to Vaccines
Laboratory studies of mutations circulating in South Africa suggest they may dodge some of the body’s immune responses.
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Study Says Blood Plasma Reduces Risk of Severe Covid-19 if Given Early
Thousands of people received convalescent plasma as an experimental treatment for Covid. A new study shows that it works — but only when given within a few days of the onset of illness.
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Why Covid Antibody Drugs Go Unused as Need Soars
While such treatments are promising, their use has been slowed by testing lags, overwhelmed hospitals and a perception the therapies are only for well-connected people.
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What to Know of Covid-19 Antibody Drugs: Cost, Availability and More
Here’s information about who these therapies can help, how much they cost and how to find out if you can get them where you live.
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The New Covid Strain in the UK: Questions and Answers
A newly identified variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus appears to be more contagious than established ones. Here’s what scientists know.
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The Coronavirus Is Mutating. What Does That Mean for Us?
Officials in Britain and South Africa claim new variants are more easily transmitted. There’s a lot more to the story, scientists say.
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Here’s Why Vaccinated People Still Need to Wear a Mask
The new vaccines will probably prevent you from getting sick with Covid. No one knows yet whether they will keep you from spreading the virus to others — but that information is coming.
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Antibodies Good. Machine-Made Molecules Better?
With help from computer algorithms, researchers designed proteins from scratch that can trounce the coronavirus in lab animals.
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Immunity to the Coronavirus May Last Years, New Data Hint
Blood samples from recovered patients suggest a powerful, long-lasting immune response, researchers reported.
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China’s New Testing Policy for Travelers Is Problematic, Experts Say
Airline passengers must present negative antibody test results before boarding. Scientists consider it a largely useless way to curb disease transmission.
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New Type of Test May Better Discern Immunity to the Coronavirus
The test detects the response of T cells to the virus — an arm of the immune system that may be just as important as antibodies to preventing reinfection.
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The Children Never Had Covid. So Why Did They Have Coronavirus Antibodies?
A provocative study suggests that certain colds may leave antibodies against the new coronavirus, perhaps explaining why children are more protected than adults.
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Children Produce Weaker Coronavirus Antibodies, Study Finds
The research suggests that children clear the infection much faster than adults and may help explain why many don’t become seriously ill.
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Why You Shouldn’t Worry About Studies Showing Waning Coronavirus Antibodies
Experts say it’s normal for levels of antibodies to drop after clearing an infection, and that they represent just one arm of the immune response against a virus.
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Some Covid Survivors Have Antibodies That Attack the Body, not Virus
New research found ‘autoantibodies’ similar to those in lupus and rheumatoid arthritis patients. But patients may also benefit from treatments for those autoimmune diseases.
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Fighting Covid-19, With Dolly Parton and The Rock
Nothing says Peak 2020 like donating antibodies while watching someone get married on your phone.
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Antibody Treatments, Though Promising, Will Be in Short Supply
All the weak points of American health care — testing delays, communication breakdowns, inequity — are working against this potential treatment.
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How an Ill-Fated Fishing Voyage Helped Us Understand Covid-19
The threat posed by the virus makes randomized controlled trials extremely difficult. That means “real-life experiments” are especially important.
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FDA approves first treatment for Ebola, a Regeneron antibody cocktail
Enlarge / Staff from South Sudan’s Health Ministry pose with protective suits during a drill for Ebola preparedness conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO). (credit: Getty | Patrick Meinhardt)
The Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued the first-ever approval for a therapy against Ebola virus disease.
Though the Ebola vaccine, Ervebo, earned approval late last year and proved 97.5 percent effective in preliminary trials, the newly approved therapy may be useful in addressing an ongoing outbreak in Democratic Republic of Congo, which began in June. The FDA’s approval may also boost the outlook for similar therapies being developed for COVID-19, which may become available before a vaccine.
The newly approved Ebola treatment, called Inmazeb (aka REGN-EB3), is a combination of three monoclonal antibodies made by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. The antibodies target the only protein on the outside of Ebola virus particles, the glycoprotein. Ebola uses its glycoprotein to attach to and enter human cells, sparking infection. The cocktail of antibodies glom on to the protein, keeping it from invading cells.
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Trump May Be Immune to the Coronavirus. But for How Long?
A unique treatment course may have blunted his body’s production of antibodies, scientists warn.
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For How Long Will President Trump Be Immune to the Coronavirus?
A unique treatment course may have blunted his body’s production of antibodies, scientists warn.
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The Race for a Super-Antibody Against the Coronavirus
A network of scientists is chasing the pandemic’s holy grail: an antibody that protects against not just the virus, but also related pathogens that may threaten humans.
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Trump’s Covid Treatments Were Tested in Cells Derived From Fetal Tissue
The “cell lines” used to develop monoclonal antibodies, as well as remdesivir and vaccines, began with fetal tissue decades ago.
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With ‘Cure’ Comment, Trump Exaggerates Known Benefits of Another Covid-19 Therapy
An experimental antibody cocktail taken by the president has not yet been proven effective against the illness caused by the coronavirus.
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Trump’s Covid Treatments Suggest a Serious Condition
Outside experts pointed to the therapies as signs that the president’s health may not be as good as his doctors said. His age, weight and gender put him at high risk.
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Will President Trump Get Antibody Treatments for Covid-19?
Regeneron and Eli Lilly wouldn’t say whether Mr. Trump would receive their experimental antibody drugs. Regeneron’s C.E.O. has known the president for years.
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Pandemic Is Far From Over, Experts Say, Despite Trump Allies’ Claims
The C.D.C. and leading experts have concluded, using different scientific methods, that as many as 90 percent of Americans are still vulnerable to infection.
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Eli Lilly Claims Experimental Drug Protects Covid-19 Patients
A so-called monoclonal antibody lowered levels of the coronavirus and prevented hospitalizations. The research has not yet been vetted by independent experts.
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Russians Publish Early Coronavirus Vaccine Results
The first batch of public data from the “Sputnik V” vaccine showed that it was safe and produced an immune response. No one knows yet whether it prevents coronavirus infections.
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National Institutes of Health disses FDA on plasma as COVID treatment
Enlarge / Francis Collins, director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, reportedly objected to the FDA’s decision to grant an Emergency Use Authorization to plasma treatments. (credit: Bloomberg / Getty Images)
Last week, the FDA announced that it was issuing an emergency use authorization for the treatment of COVID-19: the blood plasma of people who have recovered from a COVID-19 infection. But controversy quickly engulfed that announcement after it became clear that the head of the FDA had exaggerated the effectiveness of the treatment when explaining why it was being approved.
The FDA’s salesmanship of blood plasma—which is a treatment of unknown efficacy—was taken as evidence that the emergency use authorization was the product of political pressure exerted by a Trump administration anxious to have some good news to promote its reelection campaign. Additionally, health experts at the National Institute of Health (NIH) didn’t agree with the decision and had tried to block it a week ago. Now, the NIH may be striking back, releasing a document that basically says it’s looked at the evidence and is not convinced.
Not so fast
While the CDC and FDA have led some aspects of the coronavirus response, the NIH is the employer of Anthony Fauci and the largest biomedical research organization in the world. So it certainly has things to say about how to handle the pandemic, and it maintains a COVID-19 Treatment Guidelines Panel. This, as its name implies, maintains guidelines on different aspects of care for the disease. So, given that the FDA has just given an Emergency Use Authorization to a treatment, it essentially forced the NIH to respond in some way.
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These Scientists Are Giving Themselves D.I.Y. Coronavirus Vaccines
Impatient for a coronavirus vaccine, dozens of scientists around the world are giving themselves — and sometimes, friends and family — their own unproven versions.
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Another COVID-19 reinfection: This time second infection was more severe
Enlarge / A nurse practitioner administers COVID-19 tests in the parking lot at Brockton High School in Brockton, MA under a tent during the coronavirus pandemic on Aug. 13, 2020. (credit: Getty | Boston Globe)
A 25-year-old resident of Reno, Nevada was infected with the pandemic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, two times, about 48-days apart, with the second infection causing a more severe case of COVID-19 than the first and requiring hospitalization and oxygen support.
That’s according to a draft study, led by researchers at the University of Nevada and posted online. The study has not been published by a scientific journal and has not been peer-reviewed. Still, it drew quick attention from researchers, who have been examining data from the first confirmed case of a SARS-CoV-2 reinfection, reported earlier this week.
Reinfections with SARS-CoV-2 are not surprising—or even necessarily concerning. From person to person, immune responses to an infection develop along a spectrum, with some people mounting robust, protective responses and others being left with weaker responses. Amid the more than 24.5 million cases worldwide, it is completely expected to find some recovered patients who are not completely protected by their immune responses and are thus vulnerable to reinfection.
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What if the First Coronavirus Vaccines Aren’t the Best?
Dozens of research groups around the world are playing the long game, convinced that their experimental vaccines will be cheaper and more powerful than the ones leading the race today.
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More of Your Coronavirus Testing Questions, Answered
Our readers sent in smart questions about this thorny issue.
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FDA’s promotion of post-COVID plasma treatment was as bad as it appeared
Enlarge / FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn, speaking at the press conference in which he badly mangled statistics. (credit: Pete Marovich/Getty Image)
After several days of rumors with ever-growing hype, the Trump administration announced on Sunday that the Food and Drug Administration was granting an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a COVID-19 treatment. The move was controversial from the start, with reports indicating that the EUA was opposed by a number of health experts, including Francis Collins and Anthony Fauci. The press conference didn’t settle matters, with a growing chorus of scientists saying that the data presented in support of the EUA had been misrepresented.
On Monday night, FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn acknowledged that he had made a significant error in presenting the benefits of the treatment, and he followed that with an apology on Tuesday. But Hahn pushed back on indications that the approval of the treatment on the eve of the Republican National Convention was motivated by political pressure.
Wrong kind of risk
The treatment at issue involves taking the antibody-containing plasma from those who have recovered from a SARS-CoV-2 infection (convalescent plasma) and giving it to those currently suffering from COVID-19 symptoms. At Sunday’s press conference, the principle justification for allowing this treatment under an EUA was a 35 percent drop in mortality for those receiving plasma in the first three days of treatment—specifically, Hahn said 35 of 100 people “would have been saved” by this treatment.
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First Documented Coronavirus Reinfection Reported in Hong Kong
The patient did mount an immune response to the new infection, however, and did not experience symptoms.
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Where We Stand on the Pandemic
As summer draws to a close, four new developments in the treatment and understanding of the coronavirus have arisen in the United States and abroad.
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Healthy 33-yr-old man first to have confirmed reinfection with SARS-CoV-2
Enlarge / Medical staff wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) as a precautionary measure against the COVID-19 coronavirus approach Lei Muk Shue care home in Hong Kong on August 23, 2020. (credit: Getty | May James)
A healthy, 33-year-old man in Hong Kong is now the first person in the world confirmed to have been reinfected by the pandemic coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2—which has currently infected more than 23 million people worldwide.
The man’s first infection was in late March. He reported having a cough with sputum, fever, sore throat, and a headache for three days before testing positive for the virus on March 26. Though his symptoms subsided days later, he was hospitalized on March 29 and remained in the hospital until April 14, when he tested negative for SARS-CoV-2 in two tests taken 24-hours apart.
About 4.5 months later, the man tested positive for the virus again. This time, his infection was caught during entry screening at a Hong Kong airport, as he returned from a trip to Spain, via the United Kingdom, on August 15. Though he had no symptoms, he was again hospitalized. Clinical data showed he had signs of an acute infection, but he remained asymptomatic throughout his time in the hospital.
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