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The spread of COVID-19 variants is not an immediate problem but it’s time already for next-gen preventives to handle them, say scientists as nations fine-tune their vaccine dissemination programmes and the race to place additional vaccines in the market gathers pace.
Work on vaccines will have to continue on parallel tracks — one to undertake the SARS-CoV-2 virus with first generation vaccines and the other to prepare for possible mutations and new variations — say experts as they map the future course of the infection.
Responding to concerns on the effectiveness of current vaccines in the face of emerging variants, immunologist Satyajit Rath stated vaccine-resistant virus variants are either not present or not spreading in adequate scales and rates to be an immediate problem.
And though the current vaccination campaign will indeed contribute to slowing the pandemic, next-generation vaccines to take care of the”most vaccine-resistant of the emerging variant viruses will need to be developed from today even as we begin to vaccinate communities with the first-generation vaccines”, the scientist from New Delhi’s National Institute of Immunology told PTI.
An editorial in the journal Virulence earlier this week noted that a threat to vaccine effectiveness stems from emerging strains, both present — such as the ones reported by the UK, South Africa and Brazil — as well as those yet to come.
The versions found so far have experienced changes or mutations that mean they can infect human cells more readily than the original form of the novel coronavirus that started the pandemic.
A recent analysis by researchers, including those from The Rockefeller University in the US, suggests that mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 may need to be updated occasionally to prevent potential loss of clinical efficacy against the newly arising variants.
An mRNA vaccine uses a synthetic RNA (genetic material) analyzed with instructions to make specific proteins of this SARS-CoV-2 virus so the body can generate an immune response without getting the disease.
In some good news, studies have suggested the mRNA vaccines by Moderna and Pfizer seem to work against some of the variations they were analyzed for.
A small study involving scientists from Moderna found the US pharmaceutical company’s COVID-19 vaccine appears to work against new, more infectious variations of the pandemic virus found in the UK and South Africa.
The yet to be peer-reviewed research suggests that antibodies triggered by the vaccine can recognise and fight the new variants.
Another study released last week indicates the Pfizer vaccine offers protection against the UK variant.
According to experts, the current COVID-19 vaccines are directed in the spike protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, and hope to activate the formation of antibodies which block the spike protein of the virus from adhering to individual cells during disease.
The effectiveness of these vaccines is likely to be influenced most by changes in the cell-binding part of the viral spike protein.
According to immunologist Vineeta Bal, with time the efficacy of current vaccines will decrease since the coronavirus will mutate even later on.
“A single new mutation in the prevalent virus is unlikely to be adequate,” Bal, from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research at Pune, told PTI.
The angiotensin-converting receptor 2, or ACE2 receptor, is the protein that offers the entry point for the coronavirus to hook into and infect a wide range of human cells.
RBD is a vital part of a virus based on its’spike’ domain which allows it to dock to body receptors to gain entry into cells and lead to infection.
Bal noted that in the long term, vaccines may provide lesser protection due to evolution of the virus.
“That is expected and is also a concern. Over vaccines, monoclonal antibody treatment is very likely to be adversely affected,” said Bal.
“Monoclonal antibodies bind to a tiny section of the RBD and a mutation in that small portion can inhibit binding and hence utility of the monoclonal antibody as treatment.
“But vaccines are most likely to activate many antibodies which together will cover a larger portion of the RBD surface when compared with a monoclonal antibody,” she clarified.
There are currently two variants for which there are insightful data collections. One is the British variant, B.1.1.7, and the other is that the South African variant, B.1.351.
Florian Krammer, a professor at the Department of Microbiology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said the British variant may not have a significant impact on vaccine-generated immunity.
“It does not seem like B.1.1.7 will have a significant impact on vaccine-induced immunity. There might be some monoclonal antibodies which may not bind/neutralise anymore, but post-vaccination serum appears to do just fine,” he wrote in a tweet.
“However, it is necessary that high antibody titers are induced rather than all vaccine candidates do this. The lower the initial titers, the higher the effects of these variants might be and I really do find that worrisome,” the scientist noted.
Commenting at the time it may take to change vaccines to match future variants, Rath said it might be a lot simpler and quicker to think of next-generation vaccine variants, since it took the worldwide community less than a year to come up with multiple vaccines to a new virus.
Bal said this may be relatively easier for some vaccines such as the ones depending on the viral mRNA compared to others.
“The mRNA vaccines are possibly easiest to alter, but other vaccines like adenovirus-based or protein subunit vaccines can also be modified. A regulatory procedure for the fresh acceptance of these vaccines will have to be evolved,” she added.
Even though the new versions are cause for concern, Rath said”the real practical question is, how much”extra” protective capability do vaccines generate, and does this”additional” amount compensate reasonably for the”drop” in efficiency? It’s this proof that we should be looking for.”
“A significant question that will arise and is not yet being asked ishow well will such a”version” vaccine work in an individual who has already been immunised with one of those”first” vaccines? The pandemic isn’t done with us quite yet,” he added.
India has clocked over 100 instances of the UK variant.
