Science Immunology: Search for new SARS-CoV antibodies

A team of researchers gained new insights
into the maturation process of SARS-CoV-specific antibodies after multiple doses of the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty.
They have published their findings
in the journal Scientific Immunology.

Coronavirus-specific antibodies after multiple vaccinations

Antibody responses are essential for the prevention of viral infectious diseases, as only neutralizing antibodies can effectively prevent the initial penetration
of pathogens.
These antibodies block the binding sites of viral surface proteins, which are required
for the virus to dock with cell receptors and be uptaken by cells.
In addition, antibodies can limit the spread
of the virus in the body through other functions.
These functions depend heavily on the relevant subclass
of the antibody molecule.

In this study, a team led by Prof.
Matthias Tenbusch, Prof.
Thomas Winkler and Prof.
Kilian Schober from the Institute of Clinical and Molecular Virology at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg, Germany, demonstrated that the number of antibodies to the IgG4 subclass increased
after repeated vaccinations with the Comirnaty mRNA vaccine.
So far, only a small number of studies have been conducted on these antibodies in the context of viral infectious diseases, which are often considered anti-inflammatory because they are very rare
.
This exciting discovery in the field of immunology thus raises new questions
about antibody maturation.

New questions about antibody maturation

The ability of IgG4 antibodies to successfully neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus and its variants remains unchanged – this ability does not distinguish such antibodies from the most common subclass, IgG1
.
Vaccination continues to be effective and has proven in clinical trials that it provides very good protection
against severe cases.
In addition, there is no evidence of adverse effects
on the clinical course of SARS-CoV-2 infection after multiple mRNA vaccinations.

mRNA vaccines have great potential to fight infections, tumors and autoimmune diseases

However, in the context of the enormous potential of mRNA vaccines for use in infectious, oncological and autoimmune diseases, it is even more important to fully understand the elicit immune response
.
Further research is needed to find out which immune mechanisms contribute to the production
of abnormal IgG4 antibodies.
In these studies, it is fascinating to study whether this type of antibody is formed together with other mRNA vaccines and whether they are important for the progression of viral infection
.