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Of: TT
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Photo: Magnus Hjalmarson Neideman / SvD / TT
Professor Matti Sällberg, right, is not surprised that Britain’s virus mutation is discovered in Sweden. Stock Photography.
The UK crown mutation has entered Sweden, the day before vaccination begins.
But it’s unlikely the vaccine won’t bite into the new mutation, says vaccine researcher Matti Sällberg.
The first case of the new variant of the virus to spread in the UK was confirmed in Sweden on Saturday.
– When we now test the entrance, it is not surprising that we find it. It would have been quite strange if I hadn’t found it, says Matti Sällberg, a professor and vaccine researcher in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at the Karolinska Institutet.
The mutation is believed to be easier to spread compared to other variants of the coronavirus. Studies of its properties are still ongoing and more data is expected in the coming weeks.
– There is no official information yet, but it would be very strange if the vaccine did not work, says Sällberg.
Escape-mutation?
Major changes in the virus genome are required for the so-called escape variant to occur, which is not hampered by the vaccine, he says.
– A vaccine causes our immune system to produce many different antibodies and T cells that react to many different parts of the virus.
Although the mutation affects certain antibodies against the coronavirus, it does not mean that the entire immune system is deactivated.
– If we have 50 different antibodies that recognize the virus, it may be a single antibody that works a little worse.
It spreads more easily
It is worrying that the mutation that has spread from the UK appears to be more contagious than previous variants. But we still know very little about the properties of the virus affected by the mutation, Sällberg emphasizes.
– You can do experiments in labs and get an indication of how it works. We will see how the virus spreads in the world, if it will take over or if it is just one of the many variants already circulating.
That viruses mutate and try to avoid our immune system is part of their nature. But often mutations are more of a disadvantage for the virus, making it difficult for the virus to multiply or bind to receptors on our cells.
– Therefore, a virus has a limited ability to change so that it still works. Therefore, it is unlikely that the virus can evade the immune system without undergoing major changes.
The vaccine can be corrected
However, the above corona mutations have been shown to have an effect on so-called individual monoclonal antibodies, which certain drugs are based on to block the virus and alleviate the course of the disease. An example is the cocktail of antibodies that the president of the United States, Donald Trump, received after being infected with the coronavirus.
– One of the three monoclonal antibodies in this cocktail has been shown to perform worse against a mutated variant of the virus. But the other two antibodies still work excellently.
If the coronavirus unexpectedly mutates in a way that renders the vaccine ineffective, it can be quickly corrected, Sällberg says. At least in theory.
– You can make minor changes in a couple of days. That is the advantage of the new genetic vaccines. Then of course you have to produce it on a large scale and test it, which takes time.
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