3 ms·

No way, is this new research? I thought antibodies (or maybe HN taught me) were suuuper specific to a certain part of the protein.

maxerickson 5y ago
Each antibody is pretty specific. The immune system makes lots of different ones, even in response to a single foreign protein. The goal here is probably more characterization than discovery. For instance, here's a higher up Google result for "antibody heterogeneity" published in 1966: https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/209100 https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/209100
- wombatpm 5y ago
  Developing and isolating monoclonal antibodies against a single protein was a major advance. And even those have multiple binding sites
chaimanmeow 5y ago
specific antibodies are. The article tells about three different specific antibodies, targeting RBD, N-terminal domain, and S2 part of spike. T-cells are even more amazing in the way they target portions of proteins that are vaguely similar. So you could be exposed to some pathogen A, and have T-cell immunity and recognition against some pathogen B (which is quite distinct and different from A). https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/02/immune-systems-of-healthy-adults-remember-germs-to-which-theyve-never-been-exposed-stanford-study-finds.html#:~:text=In%20the%20early%201980s,of%20Virginia https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/02/immune-system...
kevin_b_er 5y ago
Single antibody, yes. A lot of different antibodies are made. The ones that seem to act "better" get made the most. As far as can be understood, the immune system does random self-mutation of its antibody generation and starts picking winners at local maxima. The result is antibodies start targeting various parts of viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. Binding and neutralizing the spike protein neutralizes the virus, so the vaccines used it. Upside: immediately effective vaccine. Downside: Its possible random antibodies in natural infection could target another critical protein to covid19 that is not on the spike, but also shuts down replication. So that's also in the field of study for covid, as well as influenza, vaccines. Is there some part of the viruses we could target instead of the spike(or the influenza hemagglutinin) that would cause immunity against the entire class of virus? Such is the search for a universal influenza vaccine.

maxerickson 5y ago

Each antibody is pretty specific. The immune system makes lots of different ones, even in response to a single foreign protein. The goal here is probably more characterization than discovery. For instance, here's a higher up Google result for "antibody heterogeneity" published in 1966: https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/209100 https://www.karger.com/Article/Pdf/209100

wombatpm 5y ago
Developing and isolating monoclonal antibodies against a single protein was a major advance. And even those have multiple binding sites

chaimanmeow 5y ago

specific antibodies are. The article tells about three different specific antibodies, targeting RBD, N-terminal domain, and S2 part of spike. T-cells are even more amazing in the way they target portions of proteins that are vaguely similar. So you could be exposed to some pathogen A, and have T-cell immunity and recognition against some pathogen B (which is quite distinct and different from A). https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/02/immune-systems-of-healthy-adults-remember-germs-to-which-theyve-never-been-exposed-stanford-study-finds.html#:~:text=In%20the%20early%201980s,of%20Virginia https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2013/02/immune-system...

kevin_b_er 5y ago

Single antibody, yes. A lot of different antibodies are made. The ones that seem to act "better" get made the most. As far as can be understood, the immune system does random self-mutation of its antibody generation and starts picking winners at local maxima. The result is antibodies start targeting various parts of viruses, bacteria, and other invaders. Binding and neutralizing the spike protein neutralizes the virus, so the vaccines used it. Upside: immediately effective vaccine. Downside: Its possible random antibodies in natural infection could target another critical protein to covid19 that is not on the spike, but also shuts down replication. So that's also in the field of study for covid, as well as influenza, vaccines. Is there some part of the viruses we could target instead of the spike(or the influenza hemagglutinin) that would cause immunity against the entire class of virus? Such is the search for a universal influenza vaccine.