Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid-19 vaccine have been shown to be effective against major mutations of the new easy-to-transmit coronavirus variety found in the U.K. and South Africa, according to a laboratory study conducted by a U.S. drug manufacturer.
A preliminary peer-reviewed study by Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that the vaccine was effective in reducing the virus through the so-called N501Y spike protein modification.
It comes as countries scramble to contain the variants that are significantly more transmissible, with public health experts anxious about the potential impact on inoculation efforts.
The Recent Study
Genetic mutations can contribute to greater susceptibility and stress and can prevent the virus from escaping antibody-induced antibodies, says Phil Dormitzer, one of Pfizer’s senior vaccine scientists.
The study was performed with blood drawn from people who had been given a vaccine. The findings are limited, because they do not address the complete set of genetic mutations found in a new virus that is rapidly spreading.
Dormitzer said it was encouraging that the vaccine had been shown to be effective in reversing the changes, as well as 15 other changes the company had previously tested.
“So now we have examined 16 different changes, and none of them have really been effective. That is good news, ”he said. “That doesn’t mean the 17th won’t.”
Dormitzer noted another change in South Africa’s diversity, called the E484K transformation, is also worrying.
Researchers plan to do similar tests to see if the vaccine is effective in other mutations found in the UK and in South Africa and hope to find out more within weeks.
Expert Opinions
Scientists have expressed concern that the vaccines being released may not be able to protect new species, especially those from South Africa.
Simon Clarke, a professor of molecular microbiology at the University of Reading, said this week that although both genres have new similarities, what is being found in South Africa “has many additional changes” involving major changes in protein synthesis.
The Pfizer / BioNTech vaccine and the one from Moderna, which uses synthetic messenger RNA technology, can be removed immediately to deal with new viral mutations if necessary. Scientists have suggested that the changes could be made in as little as six weeks.
The World Health Organization said last month that health authorities were “urgently investigating” whether the N501Y mutation may have any impact on vaccine performance.
Of particular concern is the variant of the virus that emerged in South Africa. That’s because this variant carries two other mutations in the spike protein (E484K and K417N, among others) which are not present in the U.K. strain, named “VOC-202012/01,” with VOC standing for “Variant of Concern.”
Gurdasani said the E484K mutation was “particularly concerning” because it had been associated with significantly reduced neutralization by antibodies in the laboratory.
To date, more than 88.1 million people have contracted the coronavirus worldwide, with 1.9 million deaths, according to data compiled by Johns Hopkins University.
Synopsis
The Pfizer and BioNTech’s Covid vaccines appear to be effective against major mutations in new strains of the U.K. and South Africa, research has found.
A preliminary peer-reviewed study by Pfizer and scientists from the University of Texas Medical Branch showed that the vaccine was effective in reducing the virus through the so-called N501Y spike protein modification.
The study was performed with blood drawn from people who had been given a vaccine. The findings are limited, because they do not address the complete set of genetic mutations found in a new virus that is rapidly spreading.
