US, WASHINGTON (ORDO NEWS) — Specialists from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine said they discovered several new mutations related to the spike virus protein. These mutations can nullify the effectiveness of vaccines.
The spiky protein of the virus is responsible for its attachment to a healthy cell and then its infection. Scientists hoped that it would be possible to develop vaccines that would adversely affect this protein.
Unfortunately, as it became known after a study of 5300 virus genomes from 62 countries, the protein began to change. This means that in some cases, existing developments on the creation of a vaccine will be useless.
According to experts, spike protein mutations are extremely rare today. Results from a previous study showed that coronavirus should be monitored regularly due to its variability. Professor Martin Hibberd, the author of the study, cannot yet say for sure how the spike-protein mutation will affect the course of the vaccine creation.
Previous conclusions of scientists say that the shape of the spike-like protein allows the virus to very cleverly cling to cells. It was this feature of the invisible enemy that allowed him to literally take over the world.
It is possible that over time more serious mutations will occur in the spike protein, then one of the methods for combating Covid-19 will disappear. Scientists will have to look for new weaknesses of the “enemy.”
Two protein mutations are known today. The first modification was characteristic of 788 samples of the virus, and the second – only 32. Note that previously some virus mutations led to the fact that the tests “did not see” Covid-19 in the human body. Today this defect is fixed.
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