Thread by @DrEricDing

Hunt for a universal #SARSCoV2 vaccine that will work regardless of spike mutations—next holy grail.

Instead of targeting the spike protein, which is prone to mutations, researchers are assessing other parts that are known to be more stable. 🧵#COVID19
cepi.net/news_cepi/goin…

2) “For example, scientists at University of Nottingham in the UK are working alongside pharmaceutical company Scancell and Nottingham Trent University to test its COVID-19 vaccine candidate, SN14, which targets both the spike protein as well as the nucleocapsid, or N-protein.”

3) “By targeting this additional viral structure, which is far less likely to mutate, the vaccine if found safe and effective could work to protect people against COVID-19 irrespective of any mutations to the spike protein and, in theory, could work across other coronaviruses.”

4) What can the ‘shape-shifting’ flu teach us?

Although the COVID-19 pandemic has sped up ideas to create a universal coronavirus vaccine, the drive to develop an all-in-one virus protection device isn’t new.

5) “The flu vaccine, for example, is designed to elicit antibodies capable of neutralising the virus if an individual becomes infected. However, given the ‘shape-shifting’ abilities of the flu virus—with its frequent mutations and hundreds of strains—

6) “the vaccine is delivered to populations on a seasonal basis, typically only tackling the predominant strain circulating that year and becoming ineffective in subsequent years against other strains.

7) “costs and difficulties of year-to-year approach (vaccines continually amended and immunisation campaigns annually), scientists have theorised that long-lasting immunity could be provided through a more broadly protective or even universal flu vaccine of different strains.”

8) “It would not only aid the responses to seasonal influenza but could also be critical tools for preventing a potential flu pandemic.”

And indeed— we are getting closer to a universal flu vaccine—see study below.

https://twitter.com/drericding/status/1336146914140712962

9) back to #SARSCoV2–“CalTech engineered a prototype all-in-one vaccine via a nanoparticle to hold fragments of the spike from multiple known coronaviruses—innovative platform was found to trigger the production of antibodies against several coronaviruses in preclinical testing.”

10) “Importantly, it not only protected against coronavirus antigens in the vaccine but also against related strains, suggesting an immune response had recognised common features across coronaviruses. This could therefore provide protection against newly emerging coronaviruses.”

11) “Another approach, suggested in a recent Nature commentary, could be to look at whether broadly neutralising antibodies, known to work against multiple HIV strains, also exist for coronaviruses. While neutralising antibodies typically defend the body from one antigen...”

12) “broadly neutralising antibodies can react to multiple antigens so could be used as the basis to design vaccines against a number of coronaviruses... people who have antibodies following earlier SARS infection also showing some protection against SARS-CoV-2.”