It has been confirmed that immune cells that suppress and remove the Corona 19 virus can exist in the body even when the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test for the novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) is negative or no antibody is produced. . There is an expectation that it will be a clue to the development of a universal vaccine that has a wide range of protective effects against not only COVID-19 but also mutated viruses and other corona viruses by using strong immune cells.
According to major foreign media on the 10th (local time), as part of a crowdfunding research called ‘COVIDsortium’, weekly polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests were conducted in the UK for about 700 healthcare workers in the first half of 2020. In one study, it was analyzed that the majority of those wearing protective gear did not test positive for PCR tests or did not produce COVID-19 antibodies.
However, researchers at University College London (UCL) in the UK found that the blood of some medical staff who tested negative contains proteins related to COVID-19 infection and T-cell responses, which are immune cells. The researchers named the symptoms of some medical staff who showed these test results ‘failed infection’. T cells cleared the COVID-19 virus very quickly in the early stages of infection.
Virus-infected cells sound an alert by revealing virus-infected proteins on their surface. T cells recognize this and learn to destroy infected cells. If the COVID-19 virus has not penetrated, T cells cannot recognize the cells infected with the COVID-19 virus. When the researchers analyzed early blood samples from people who had failed infections, they found that even before they were exposed to the virus, T cells that recognize the protein the virus uses to replicate and multiply in the body were present.
“The most convincing explanation for now is that they may have been frequently exposed to the existing coronavirus, which causes about 10% of colds,” the researchers said. I don’t know for sure if I can,” he said.
Importantly, antibodies target only viral proteins, whereas T cells recognize all viral proteins. Most of the proteins involved in virus replication and proliferation in the body are very similar to other corona viruses, including the Corona 19 virus. If a vaccine that induces a strong T-cell response that recognizes all these proteins is developed, a general-purpose vaccine that can protect against COVID-19 as well as a wide range of coronaviruses can be made. This is because mRNA, the genetic material that synthesizes proteins, can be designed and injected into the body.
In particular, general-purpose vaccines can have a strong effect in suppressing mutant viruses such as the delta mutant virus that currently dominates the world and all viruses in the corona family.
Several groups have already started the challenge of developing a universal COVID-19 vaccine. UK-based company ‘SEEK’ has developed a general-purpose vaccine candidate. Olga Plegezulus, SEEK researcher, said, “It is only a matter of time before another infectious disease or another coronavirus appears other than COVID-19. If you do, you will run into very serious problems.” That is why we are in a hurry to develop a universal coronavirus vaccine.
However, it is unclear how effective the vaccine will be to elicit a strong T-cell immune response. Most of the COVID-19 vaccines currently being inoculated target the production of antibodies with neutralizing ability. There are also voices calling for verification through research and clinical trials.
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