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Scientists have evaluated the new coronavirus infection in monkeys and found that immune system T cells can contribute to protection against the virus if antibody responses are suboptimal, a breakthrough that may aid in the development of vaccines and therapies for COVID-19.
The study, published in the journal Nature, shed light on the role of antibodies and immune cells in protecting against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. “In this study, we define the role of T-cell antibodies in protection against COVID-19 in monkeys. We report that a relatively low antibody titer, the concentration of antibodies in the blood, is needed for protection, ”said study co-author Dan Barouch of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in the US.“ Such knowledge will be important in the development of next-generation vaccines, antibody-based therapies and public health strategies for COVID-19, “said Barouch.
Previous studies had suggested that SARS-CoV-2 infection protects rhesus macaques from re-exposure, after which Barouch and his colleagues purified and collected antibodies from monkeys that had recovered from the infection.
They administered the antibodies in various concentrations to 12 uninfected macaques and found that protection against exposure to SARS-CoV-2 was dose dependent. According to the researchers, animals that received higher amounts of antibodies were more completely protected, while animals that received lower amounts of antibodies were less protected. Similarly, when they administered various concentrations of the purified antibodies to sick monkeys with active SARS-CoV-2 infection, those who received higher doses demonstrated faster viral control.
In another set of experiments, scientists evaluated the role of specific immune cells (CD8 + T cells) in contributing to protection against the virus by eliminating these cells from animals that had recovered from infection.
When they killed these immune cells, they left the animals vulnerable to infection after re-exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
“Our data define the role of antibodies and T cells in protection against COVID-19 in monkeys. Antibodies alone can protect, even at relatively low levels, but T cells are also useful if antibody levels are insufficient, ”said Barouch, who is also a professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School. “These protective correlates are important given the recent successful results of human trial vaccines, and the likelihood that these and other vaccines will be widely available in the spring,” he added. Barouch believes that future vaccines may need a license based on immune correlates rather than clinical efficacy.
(This story was posted from a cable agency feed with no text changes. Only the title has been changed.)
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