Russian scientists have found a way to increase the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines

Scientists from the Shemyakin and Ovchinnikov Institute of Bioorganic Chemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences, together with colleagues from the Research Institute of Systems Biology and Medicine, have found a way to improve vaccines against COVID-19 by strengthening the body's immune response. They examined the S-protein receptor-binding domains of five coronavirus strains.: "Wuhan-Hu-1" (the original version of the virus), "Alpha", "Delta", "Gamma" and "Omicron".

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When the virus enters the body, it is the S protein that first interacts with human cells, and antibodies are also produced to it when most vaccines are administered.

"Our study not only helps to better understand the mechanisms of interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, with the human immune system, but also provides specific guidelines for the creation of next-generation vaccines. In the future, we will continue to investigate socially significant viral infections, including other respiratory viruses, in order to identify the universal components of the immune response and develop strategies for their prevention," Anna Kudryaeva, project manager, told Izvestia.

The scientists isolated proteasomes (intracellular complexes) from human cell cultures and analyzed which fragments are formed during S-protein cleavage. It turned out that the S-protein of the Omicron strain is cleaved differently than other proteins. This affects the binding of viral peptides to molecules on the surface of infected cells, and, consequently, the immune response. Two of the three key peptides of this strain are preserved in modern variants of SARS-CoV-2.

The data obtained can play a key role in the development of vaccines. The creation of drugs containing the identified key peptides can increase the effectiveness of the immune response and provide better protection against new variants of coronavirus.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Traces of the strain: scientists will increase the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccines