Scientists have developed a universal COVID-19 vaccine for all variants of the coronavirus. Additionally, these vaccines are effective against 2B coronaviruses. Read more to find out about the one vaccine for all coronaviruses.
What is the new COVID-19 vaccine all about?
The universal COVID-19 vaccine uses mRNA like the Pfizer and Moderna vaccines. However, unlike them, the new vaccine uses mRNA from multiple coronaviruses together as a hybrid. The study is conducted by a team of scientists from the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and Duke University School of Medicine.
This vaccine is a hybrid as it uses a hybrid mRNA to generate antibodies against various spike proteins. As per the study, this universal vaccine prevented lung damage in addition to preventing infection from SARS-Cov-2 and related coronaviruses.
Potential of the universal vaccine
“Our findings look bright for the future because they suggest we can design more universal coronavirus vaccines to proactively guard against viruses we know are at risk for emerging in humans,” said Dr. David Martinz, a co-author of the study. ” This vaccine has the potential to prevent SARS-CoV-3,” he added. Additionally, “The vaccine has the potential to prevent outbreaks when used as a new variant is detected,” said Dr. Ralph Baric, the author of the study.
In this study, researchers mainly focused on SARS-CoV-2 and other 2B covid causing viruses. All these viruses are a member of the ‘sarbecovirus’ subgenus. In the past members of this subgenus have caused devastating losses. Apart from the current pandemic, the 2002-04 SARS epidemic is another example.
The study is a step n the right direction as coronaviruses are a type of virus that can jump from animals to humans. The universal vaccine might be the key to prevent future pandemics due to the coronavirus.