Coronaviruses have affected people for many years, but you could never get a vaccine. Australian researcher explains why it is so difficult

from
Tibi Puiu,

Monday, April 20, 2020, 6:17 p.m.

This is not the first or the last coronavirus to infect humans, and researchers have so far been unable to develop a coronavirus vaccine because of the enormous challenges.

The first coronaviruses that affected humans were identified in the 1960s. Since then, researchers have learned that they are a family of viruses that is predominantly responsible for upper respiratory tract infections. Many of them, for example, cause the common cold.

It is believed that a vaccine already exists for at least some of these coronaviruses, given that we have known them for decades. The problem is that there is no effective vaccine even now, after so many years.

In the past, Frazer has been involved in the development of vaccines against the human papilloma virus (HPV) that cause cervical cancer, a vaccine that took years of work to succeed.

It is a separate immune system, so to speak, that is not easily accessible through vaccine technology.

Professor Frazer for ABC News Australia:

Why the immune system works differently in the upper respiratory tract

The skin and the outer layer of cells in the upper respiratory tract act as a barrier against viruses, preventing them from entering the body. The problem is that it is very difficult to neutralize viruses “outside” the body.

This is due in part to the fact that only the outer layer of cells becomes infected, which, compared to a serious infection of the internal organs, does not produce the same immune response, making it more difficult to attack.

In the past, many of the failed coronavirus vaccines have performed worse than if no vaccine had been administered.

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One of the problems with corona vaccines is that when the immune response crosses over to where the virus-infected cells are, it actually increases the pathology instead of reducing it.

Immunization with the SARS vaccine caused inflammation in the lungs of the animals that would not otherwise have existed if the vaccine had not been administered.

Ian Frazer, researcher at the University of Queensland, Australia:

The possibility of reinfection is real.

Regarding immunity after coronavirus infection, the Australian professor confirmed that a person who is cured of a cold still has antibodies that protect him from infection in the future. However, this immunity does not last a lifetime, but only a few months.

“I think it would be fair to say that the natural immunity that is obtained after being infected with this coronavirus will probably be the same as the coronaviruses that we have seen in the past.”

There will be some natural protection for a period of months, maybe even years, but it won’t last for life. The good news is that if you have been reinfected with the virus a second time, a few months later, there will probably be enough immunity to prevent you from becoming seriously ill.

Professor Frazer:

Currently, several different vaccines are being developed and tested for immunization against SARS-CoV-2. Some are designed to kill the virus by incorporating an attenuated or inactive version as we do with the flu vaccine, others are more experimental and use messenger RNA to force infected cells to produce antibodies.

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Frazer believes the most promising vaccine should use a fragment of the virus bound to a chemical that induces an immune response.

We are at least one year away from a vaccine

East [tip de vaccin] It has been successful in animal models for coronaviruses in the past and of course there is the most money invested right now.

Another type of vaccine would be based on the antibodies transferred from someone who has already been infected and escaped infection. It could be another immune means to prevent infection, and it could probably develop faster than a real vaccine.

Ian Frazer:

A vaccine that gives people immunity to a coronavirus would be a world premiere. However, even if such a vaccine proves to be safe and effective, it takes at least 12-18 months. Then its mass production and distribution could take even longer, since billions of doses would be needed.

Until then, social distancing, wearing face masks in public, and impeccable hygiene are the best weapons at our disposal against the threat of the coronavirus.

PUBLIC FREEDOM SCIENTIFIC ARTICLES. In the midst of the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, more than ever readers need quality, clearly presented scientific information. Libertatea has opened a series of collaborations with Romanian journalists for the publication ZME Science, an independent platform for science journalism, made up of experts who generally inform a foreign audience. They write multiple articles on Liberty every day. based on the latest data and studies on epidemics.

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