The Omicron variant BA.2.75.2 largely avoids neutralizing antibodies

"Although antibody immunity has not completely disappeared, BA.
2.
75.
2 has shown stronger resistance than the variant we previously studied, primarily driven by two mutations in the spike protein receptor binding domain," said
study corresponding author Ben Morrell, assistant professor in the Department of Microbiology, Oncology and Cell Biology at the Carolynska School.

The study showed that antibodies in random serum samples from 75 donors in Stockholm were only about one-sixth
as effective in neutralizing BA.
2.
75.
2, which is currently dominant.
The serum samples were collected at three time points: April, before the appearance of Omicron last November, after a wave of mass infections in the country, and from the end of August to the beginning of September after the dominance of the
BA.
5 variant.

According to this study, of the clinically available monoclonal antibody treatments tested, only bebtelovimab was able to effectively neutralize this new variant
.
Monoclonal antibodies are used to treat people
at high risk of developing severe COVID-19.

BA.
2.
75.
2 is a mutant version
of BA.
2.
75, another variant of Omicron.
Since it was first detected earlier this fall, it has spread to several countries, but so far represents only a handful
of registered cases.

Ben Murrell said: "We now know that this is just one of a series of new variants with similar mutations that could dominate in the near future
.
" "We should expect an increase
in the number of infections this winter," he added.

Some problems remain.

It's unclear whether these new variants will drive higher
hospitalization rates.
In addition, while current vaccines generally provide protection against serious diseases such as omegalon infection, there is no data on the extent to which newer COVID vaccines provide protection against
these new variants.
"We hope they're beneficial, but we don't know how much yet," Ben Murrell said
.

The study was carried out in collaboration with researchers from ETH Zürich in Switzerland and Imperial College London

Funding is provided
by the Science Lab, the Erling-Persson Foundation, the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.
Daniel J.
Sheward, Gunilla B.
Karlsson Hedestam and Ben Murrell own intellectual property
related to neutralizing antibodies to the Omicron variant.

Published: "Omegalon subline BA.
2.
75.
2 exhibits massive neutralizing antibody escape Daniel J.
Sheward, Changil Kim, Julian Fischbach, Kenta Sato, Sandra Muschiol, Roy A.
Ehling, Niklas K.
Bj?rkstr?m, Gunilla B.
Karlsson Hedestam, Sai T.
Reddy Jan Albert, Thomas P.
Peacock, Ben Morrell, The Lancet Infectious Disease, Communications, October 13, 2022, doi: 10.
1016/S1473-3099(22)00663-6