Islamabad: Scientists have discovered an unusual feature discovered in many human antibodies that neutralize the new coronavirus, a discovery that can contribute to the successful progression of COVID-19 vaccines.
While several vaccine applicants have entered clinical trials, the researchers, adding those from the Scripps Research Institute in the United States, have stated that the characteristics of human antibodies that contribute to the maximum effective immune reaction to the new coronavirus – SARS- CoV-2- is unclear.
The researchers explained that SARS-CoV-2 uses the receptor binding domain (RBD) in its protein to bind to the host’s mobile surface receptor, ACE2, and infect human mobiles.
They said antibodies that can only target RBD and block binding to ACE2 are highly sought after, and several have been discovered, Science Daily reported.
In this study, scientists, who added Yuan Meng from the Scripps Research Institute, evaluated a list of 294 RBD antibodies.
They found that a gene from the IGHV gene family, called IGHV3-53, is the most widely used IGHV gene to attack the virus’s complex RBD protein.
According to the researchers, IGHV3-53 antibodies only have lower mutation rates, but they are also more potent for neutralizing the virus.
Using the three-dimensional structures of two RBD-related IGHV3-53 antibodies, the researchers knew the characteristics that made them effective and promising for vaccine design.
“Overall, our structural research shows that the IGHV3-53 provides a multi-purpose framework for targeting the ACE2 link in SARS-CoV-2 RBD,” the study notes.
“Because IGHV3-53 is discovered with moderate frequency in healthy individuals, this specific antibody reaction may commonly be due to vaccination,” they wrote in the study.
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