How to develop a universal vaccine that beats COVID, SARS, MERS and the common cold!

"New Year's Day " - The virus that causes it belongs to a family of coronaviruses that can cause everything from the common cold to MERS, which kills about one-third of those infectedAlthough these viruses cause a variety of symptoms, they all have similaritiesIf they are similar enough for a vaccine to prevent all of them from infection? Scientists have been thinking about itHowever, before we can explore this problem, we first need to understand the fascinating anatomy of the coronavirus familyThe coronavirus is a tiny ball of genetic material wrapped in a stinging protein at the centerThe virus must infect the cells in order to replicate and to do so it must first attach to the cellsPhoto Source: Coronaviruses attach to cells by using their stingproteins to attach to cells by fixing them to specific targets called receptorsScientists from the United States and France examined the stinging proteins and found that they consisted of two parts, or "domains" that could be called harmoniesThese stinging domains help viruses attach to host cells in various waysFor example, both the cause dissonmic virus uses parts of the domain called receptor binding domains to adhere to host cell receptorsBut the virus that causes the cold doesn'tResearchers who compared the characteristics of all coronaviruses that cause human disease have found similarities and differences between themAlthough the domain varies greatly between members of the virus family, the domain is very similarThe similarity of virus structures is important because they help our immune systems be tricked into reacting and fighting several closely related virusesThis is because similar domains have similar characteristics that can be detected by our antibodiesAntibodies are produced by a special white blood cell called a cellThey have several functions in terms of infection, such as helping other white blood cells detect and kill viruses or infected cellsAntibodies can also block the virus from entering cells for example by blocking cell receptorsHowever, although antibodies are powerful, it takes time to start producing protective antibodies to the dayOnce cells know what antibodies to make, they will remember that if they encounter the same infection again they can react almost immediately to produce more antibodies than beforeThis property is called a memory responseVaccines work by providing the characteristics of the virus to create immune memory that triggers the production of natural antibodies without the need for a full infectionCan structural similarities between associated coronaviruses be used to make vaccines that can produce antibodies that identify members of several viral families? Cross-reaction to solve this puzzle it is necessary to study whether antibodies can identify more than one virus this phenomenon is called cross-reactionSimilar tests have shown that antibodies that cause the antibodies in the part of the stingprotein domain can cross-react with the resulting virusPhoto Source: In a peer-reviewed study, researchers also found that antibodies to the area of the stingprotein domain cross-reacted with other coronaviruses, although weakHowever, antibody binding is not sufficient to indicate whether a target is suitable for further development into a vaccine or drugThe discovery of these antibodies, which may produce cross-reactions, is exciting because they may open the door to new drugs and vaccinesA by-product may provide some potential protection against future coronaviruses that we have not encountered yetThe disease increases but needs to be treated with cautionAlthough antibodies are powerful allies in the fight against infection, they also pose a serious threat to our healthAntibody dependence enhancement is a harmful phenomenon in which antibodies that bind to the virus actually help the virus enter and infect cells including cells that normally cannot infect cells such as certain types of white blood cellsOnce the virus enters the white blood cell it hijacks the cell and effectively turns it into a Trojan horseThese Trojanhorses enable viruses to hide and thrive within cells and spread throughout the body that actually amplify and accelerate the disease It is not clear whether this has occurred but has been observed in dengue fever We still have a lot to know but the odds seem highest when several variants of a particular virus spread through the population So the big question is whether vaccines that use cold viruses and similarities lead to greater risks Most vaccine trials focus on the region of the stingprotein region that does not trigger a wide range of cross-reactive antibodies and therefore are less likely to pose a risk Another risk that antibodies may pose is so-called vaccine-related enhanced respiratory diseases This occurs when high levels of antibodies bind to the virus and cause the virus and antibody to clump These lumps can cause small airway sleuss to block the lungs with potentially catastrophic consequences This risk, while rare and unlikely, emphasizes the need for caution to ensure that any vaccine and new drug are properly tested for safety before they are widely used Overall taking into account the function of cross-reactive antibodies and the potential risks of vaccines in the near future seem unlikely to protect us from infections that protect us from MERS and certain types of common colds at the same time What is certain, however, is how we understand how these viruses evolve, how they are similar and different, and how we respond to their immune response, the more likely we are to win the war () References: : ""