Researchers in the United States and Germany have conducted a study showing that the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine designed to protect against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is effective against recently emerged variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-Cov-2).
Early B cell signatures predict antibody responses to mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine
Researchers in the United States have identified both antigen-specific and antigen non-specific predictive signatures of antibody responses to Moderna’s two-dose coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine that protects against infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).
The team found that after both vaccine doses, robust and coordinated immunoglobulin A (IgA) and IgG responses were preceded by bursts of plasmablasts that are specific to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, although these bursts occurred earlier and more intensely after the second dose.
The viral spike protein is the main structure SARS-CoV-2 uses to infect host cells and the primary target of antibodies following vaccination or natural infection.