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Scientists find ‘weakness’ in major Covid-19 variants | World News

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According to a study published Thursday, researchers led by an Indian-Canadian scientist said they had discovered a common vulnerability in the main variants of Covid-19, including the more transmissible Omicron subvariant, which provides a target Possibilities for antibody therapy.

The study was conducted in collaboration with researchers from the University of British Columbia, Canada, led by Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, a professor of medicine at the Faculty of Medicine, and researchers from the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Mitko Dimitrov and Veli. It was published as a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Communications.

The study used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-scale structure of vulnerable points on viral spike proteins, called epitopes. This powerful imaging technique uses an electron beam to visualize the shape of tissues and cells through ultracold (“freezing”) techniques. Because the Covid-19 virus is 100,000 times smaller than the size of a needle, it cannot be detected using ordinary light microscopy.

Antibodies attach to the virus in a specific way, “like a key in a lock,” according to Subramaniam of IIT-Kanpur’s MSc in Chemistry. However, when the virus mutates, the key no longer fits.

“We’re always looking for the master key — antibodies that continue to neutralize the virus even after extensive mutation,” he added.

“The ‘master key’ identified in this new paper is the antibody fragment VH Ab6, which was shown to be effective against Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron variants. to neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and prevent the virus from entering human cells to neutralize SARS-CoV-2,” explained a statement from the University of British Columbia.

“This study reveals a weakness that is largely unchanged in variants and can be neutralized by antibody fragments. It lays the groundwork for the design of pan-mutation therapies that may help many vulnerable populations,” said the study’s senior author. Subramaniam said.

Drug makers can now exploit this critical vulnerability, and because the site is relatively free of mutations, the resulting treatments could be effective against existing and even future variants, he said.

“We now have a very clear picture of this vulnerability of the virus. We know every interaction of the spike protein with an antibody at that site. We can go backwards from this point and use smart design to develop a range of antibody treatments, “He says.

“Now that we have detailed the structure of this site, it opens up a whole new field of therapeutic possibilities,” he said.


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