Variants

The South African variant is more resistant to vaccines Development of current vaccines against COVID-19 has required a huge amount of investment. There are now four available in Europe: Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Janssen. All are designed to prompt antibody and lymphocyte T responses against the surface spike (S) protein that was present in the […]

More transmissible variants of SARS-CoV-2 have emerged from the original Wuhan strain. Amongst these, the UK variant, discovered in Great Britain in the 3rd quarter of 2020, quickly became the dominant strain in the country. This variant carries a number of mutations, notably within the spike (S) protein, such as for example the N501Y mutation […]

The UK variant of SARS-CoV-2, which appeared at the end of the summer of 2020, spread rapidly across the country between November 2020 and January 2021. It includes numerous mutations and deletions (or losses), notably in the spike (S) surface protein, the protein in contact with the ACE2 cellular receptor which enables entry of the […]

SARS-CoV-2 is able to enter cells through its interaction with the spike (S) surface protein and the ACE2 cellular receptor. Soluble ACE2 proteins (sACE2), to act as lures for the virus (see News-COVID-19.info letter 4-10 January 2021), and protease inhibitors are treatments currently undergoing clinical trials. But for the moment, only neutralizing antibodies constitute an […]

The UK variant of SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in the United Kingdom in September 2020. It carries numerous mutations, notably in the spike (S) surface protein, and seems much more infectious than other variants. Initial studies did not indicate changes in the illness’ severity. However, researchers at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine have […]

COVID-19 has already caused the deaths of more than 2,6 million people across the world. Ending the pandemic means developing effective vaccines and drugs. Therapeutic antibodies are currently used to treat patients and there is a worldwide race to vaccinate people after the rapid development of different vaccines. The therapeutic antibodies and the vaccines approved […]

The SARS-CoV-2 virus emerged in Wuhan in China at the end of 2020 and rapidly spread worldwide. The entry of the viral particle into the cell depends upon the interaction of the spike (S) surface viral protein, or more specifically the RBD (“Receptor Binding Domain”), with the ACE2 cellular receptor. During the pandemic a variant […]

The 501Y.V2 variant of SARS-CoV-2, known as the South African variant, is now the dominant strain in South Africa and is spreading rapidly within other countries. This variant principally contains 8 mutations in the spike surface protein: L18F, D80A, D215G, K417N, E484K, N501Y and A701V, and 1 deletion of 3 amino acids, Del242-244. Researchers in […]

Mutations of SARS-CoV-2 occur at an average of 1-2 per month. The majority of these mutations are not worrying, but some of them can have serious consequences. They may, for example, make the virus more easily transmissible or give it greater capacity to evade immunity conferred by vaccination. The first variant giving cause for concern […]

The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein enables the entry of the virus into the cell. Its RBD (receptor binding domain) is the principal target of neutralizing antibodies that block this mechanism. British and African researchers (at University College London, CITIID Cambridge, and AHRI Durban) studied the evolution of this protein in a man in his seventies, immunocompromised, […]