Live view of our neutralization assay team scrambling to make yet another virus variant every time the media publishes about a new single amino acid change without context. 😒
Here is the context: you are going to read and hear about a million and one variant viruses, because viruses mutate by nature. It’s scary, I know. But, a couple of amino acids is not the same a whole whole new virus strain in the way that we’ve been taught to think about flu.
What is happening, often times, is selective pressure. As the virus transmits it learns how to be better at transmitting. This is why you hear “circulating faster than last variant”...
But, don’t get in a panic over it. There will take a large amount of genetic diversity to completely make the current vaccines useless... And, here is why:
Unlike monoclonal antibody therapies, vaccines (especially those using the whole spike protein) make polyclonal antibody responses. This means that the antibodies your vaccinated body will make will be able to bind the coronavirus spike in multiple places... not just one.
Remember in April when media had y’all scared over a mutation... https://twitter.com/kizzyphd/status/1249979423987810304
Then here came the D614G mutation that had reviewers on our neck... and then boom... in the mouse paper we added results showing “mRNA-1273 induces potent neutralizing antibody responses to both wild-type (D614) and D614G mutant SARS-CoV-2” https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-020-2622-0
In all, please don’t be alarmed any more than you have been through this pandemic. The precautionary measures (ie. no travel) in the UK are in line with sensible measures following a regional virus spike.
Very reassuring data from @TheMenacheryLab et. al. on the Pfizer vaccine eliciting neutralizing antibodies to N501Y mutant SARS-CoV-2! https://twitter.com/AtulGupta_MD/status/1347391689376157696?s=20
Read the Full Statement of the @WHO's "Emergency Committee on COVID-19 Advises on Variants, Vaccines" here >>> https://www.who.int/news/item/15-01-2021-statement-on-the-sixth-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-pandemic
Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee...

The sixth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place...

https://www.who.int/news/item/15-01-2021-statement-on-the-sixth-meeting-of-the-international-health-regulations-(2005)-emergency-committee-regarding-the-coronavirus-disease-(covid-19)-pandemic
"... investigated SARS-CoV-2-S pseudoviruses bearing (...)
B.1.1.7 lineage spike protein with sera of 16 participants in (...) the ( @pfizer) mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccine. The immune sera had equivalent neutralizing titers to both variants." https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.18.426984v1.full.pdf
I’m just gonna post my boss here saying what I been done said. Maybe y’all will believe him. https://twitter.com/barneygrahammd/status/1351918598667657216
The neutralization teams have a message:
"Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine Retains Neutralizing Activity Against Emerging Variants First Identified in the U.K. and the Republic of South Africa"

Sorry to those who I've been ignoring yin this regard for weeks lol https://twitter.com/moderna_tx/status/1353698953108353024?s=20
The pre-print is now live: mRNA-1273 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies against spike mutants from global SARS-CoV-2 variants https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.25.427948v1
mRNA-1273 vaccine induces neutralizing antibodies against spike mutants from global SARS-CoV-2...

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is the causative infection of a global pandemic that has led to more than 2 million deaths worldwide. The Moderna mRNA-1273 vaccine has...

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2021.01.25.427948v1
https://twitter.com/rmc031/status/1353837207405146114
Live view of me reading yet another well-executed “tweetorial” by @florian_krammer. https://twitter.com/florian_krammer/status/1353900984209182720
Both Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines' ability to elicit neutralizing antibodies against global variants were just published in @nejm ...

https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2102179
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2036242
Both Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines' ability to elicit neutralizing antibodies against global variants were just published in @nejm ... https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2102179 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2036242
Both Pfizer's and Moderna's mRNA vaccines' ability to elicit neutralizing antibodies against global variants were just published in @nejm ... https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2102179 https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2036242
You can follow @KizzyPhD.
Tip: mention @twtextapp on a Twitter thread with the keyword “unroll” to get a link to it.

Latest Threads Unrolled:
Those who think consciousness raising & movement building are disconnected, or even a distraction from electoral politics have not paid attention to the history of social change.In this thread, we
Read more
The 2020s will be known as the Remote Work decadeA few predictions of what is likely to emerge[ a thread ] Third Space: Office and Working from Home will
Read more
1/29: Have you ever had a concept explained to you that helps frame complex issues you’ve been wrestling with and opens your eyes to new possibilities? A concept that I
Read more
By continuing to use the site, you are consenting to the use of cookies as explained in our Cookie Policy to improve your experience.