Uncovering Potential T-Cell Targets in a Conserved State Could Accelerate the Creation of a Universal COVID-19 Vaccine
The La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) has made a significant breakthrough in the development of a research pipeline aimed at creating universal vaccines. The team, led by Dr. Alba Grifoni, has published their findings in the prestigious journal Cell, titled "Highly conserved Betacoronavirus sequences are broadly recognized by human T cells."
The research reveals that SARS-CoV-2 conserved epitope region-specific T cells cross-reactively recognize sequences from multiple viruses within the Betacoronavirus subgenera. This discovery could potentially be extended to identify conserved T-cell epitopes in various viral families, including those causing hemorrhagic fevers.
T cells, a crucial part of the immune system, are responsible for recognizing all the proteins of a virus. The team's work focuses on mapping out conserved epitope regions, which are parts of the virus that remain consistent across different strains. These conserved regions constitute 12% of the complete SARS-CoV-2 proteome.
The study's findings indicate that the research pipeline's accuracy and usefulness extend beyond just coronaviruses. It suggests potential applications to various viruses, such as measles, Nipah virus, A71, D68, Lassa virus, and Junin virus. The team has shown that incorporating CTERs from non-spike proteins enhances T cell cross-reactivity potential and HLA coverage compared to T cells targeting only spike proteins.
Collaboration is key in this endeavour. The researchers are working with other research groups, including scientists from the University of Oxford, to identify conserved T-cell epitope regions across various respiratory viruses and viral species causing hemorrhagic fevers. Grifoni emphasizes the need to fill knowledge gaps about conserved T-cell epitopes in various viral families to broaden the scope of universal vaccine development.
The ultimate goal is to induce a neutralizing antibody response, but the team has shown that T cells are more stable in the context of viral variants. Grifoni states that a new coronavirus might not prevent infection but could potentially prevent hospitalization, highlighting the importance of T cell responses in managing viral infections.
The team at LJI continues to work diligently, extracting and analyzing data from the public resource Immune Epitope Database (IEDB) to further their understanding of conserved epitope regions in various viruses, not just SARS-CoV-2. Their research pipeline could potentially revolutionize the field of vaccinology, offering a promising path towards universal vaccines.
