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“This coronavirus is not as protected as some other viruses,” said British professor Max Crispin, the study’s chief.
An international team of scientists has described how coronavirus disguises itself to enter the human body without being detected by the immune system, which is a defining problem for the possible development of a vaccine.
According to a statement published this Wednesday on the website of the University of Southampton (United Kingdom), many of the peaks that SARS-CoV-2 must adhere to and penetrate human cells are coated with sugars or glycans that mask the viral protein and thus fool our immune system. the system.
“Covered with sugar, these viruses look like a wolf in sheep’s clothing,” said study leader Max Crispin, a professor at the University of Southampton.
Researchers were able to describe the structure of these glycans and show the availability of viral protein. “One of the key results of our study is that, despite how much sugar is in it, this coronavirus is not as protected as some other viruses,” Crispin said.
“Other viruses, such as HIV, which remain in the body, must constantly evade the immune system and have a really dense layer of glycans as a shield for the immune system,” the scientist explained, adding that the “least protective” sugar available for coronavirus “can reflect that it is a “hit and run” virus that is transmitted from one person to another. “
Based on these data, Crispin said a lower glycan density “means that the immune system has fewer barriers to neutralizing the virus with antibodies.” “This is a very encouraging signal for developing a vaccine,” he said.
The results of the study were published on the bioRxiv portal.
The total number of people infected with coronavirus in the world exceeded 1.5 millionAccording to Johns Hopkins University. Meanwhile, the death toll 87706 worldwide.
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