German scientists have shown the resistance of the omicron strain against neutralizing antibodies
Image: Markus Hoffmann
Scientists at the Institute for Primate Research in Göttingen (Germany) have found that the omicron variant of the coronavirus is resistant to major antibodies. This is reported in an article published in the journal Cell.
The researchers showed that the antibodies of the recovered people practically did not inhibit the omicron variant. Antibodies after two BioNTech-Pfizer vaccinations also showed significantly reduced efficacy, however, after the third dose, efficacy is restored to some extent. Oxford-AstraZeneca and BioNTech-Pfizer heterologous vaccinations are also characterized by increased protection against the omicron strain.
SARS-CoV-2 appears to be spreading faster than any previous strain and could soon dominate the world. Infection with SARS-CoV-2 and vaccination result in the production of antibodies that greatly contribute to protection against severe disease, despite the reduced neutralizing ability of antibodies.
Antibody combinations of casirivimab and imdevimab, etesevimab and bamlanivimab are currently being used to treat COVID-19. However, scientists have shown that these antibodies are largely ineffective against the omicron S-protein. At the same time, sotrovimab is an exception and may be useful for the treatment of coronavirus infection.
