PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Initial SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations prime immune cells to respond to subsequent variants

Findings on “immunological imprinting” could affect future vaccine designs

2024-03-14
(Press-News.org) PHILADELPHIA – Antibody responses to new SARS-CoV-2 variant infections and vaccinations are powerfully shaped by prior exposures to earlier SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, according to a new study from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania.

In the study, published today in Immunity, the researchers analyzed antibody responses in people infected with or vaccinated against the relatively new SARS-CoV-2 variants BA.5 and XBB. They found that even though BA.5 and XBB are very different from the original “ancestral” version of SARS-CoV-2, the responses to these newer variants came almost entirely from the B cell repertoire that was already in place due to prior vaccinations against the ancestral strain.

The good news is that these responses efficiently prevented BA.5 and XBB variants from infecting cells, which likely explains why BA.5 and XBB boosters protect recipients against severe illness from these new variants. Yet the findings underscore the power of an initial viral exposure, like from the initial SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, to shape immune responses to new variants even years later.

“Detailing how SARS-CoV-2 immune history influences the antibody response to new variants, through studies such as this one, will ultimately help us design more effective vaccines,” says study co-senior author Scott Hensley, PhD, a professor of Microbiology at Penn Medicine.

The study’s other co-senior author was E. John Wherry, MD, PhD, the Richard and Barbara Schiffrin President's Distinguished Professor, Director of the Institute for Immunology, and Chair of the Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics at Penn Medicine.

The study’s central finding was that, despite the many differences between BA.5 and XBB and the ancestral variant, antibody responses to these newer variants—even with multiple exposures—almost always targeted sites on the virus that had not changed since the ancestral version of the virus. In individuals with exposures to XBB—the more mutationally “distant” variant—the researchers did detect low numbers of antibodies that hit XBB-specific sites. The immune responses to the variants were highly dependent on the original B cell repertoire induced by the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain—and on the ability of those cells to cross-react with BA.5 and XBB variants.

The researchers found that individuals who initially had lower numbers of B cells elicited by the ancestral variant were more likely to produce totally new, variant-specific antibodies. More importantly, the researchers found that people who had high numbers of B cells against the ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain were more likely to mount effective immune responses, which were mostly cross-reactive, to the BA.5 and XBB variants.

The phenomenon in which an initial antibody response to a virus dominates and delimits the response to later strains of the same virus is called “immunological imprinting,” or “original antigenic sin.” It has been described for decades, mostly in relation to influenza virus infections. One concern is that imprinting could potentially blunt the immune responses against newer virus strains in people with histories of exposure to prior strains. Given the striking ability of SARS-CoV-2 to evolve new variants, researchers have begun to detail imprinting’s effects in the SARS-CoV-2 context.

In the study, the researchers examined imprinting’s effects on antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2’s BA.5 and XBB variants. The two highly transmissible variants began circulating in 2022 and contain many changes from the original ancestral SARS-CoV-2 virus. Booster vaccinations against these variants were introduced in 2022 and 2023.

“Prior vaccinations are highly beneficial for establishing memory B cells that can be rapidly recruited to produce neutralizing antibodies against new SARS-CoV-2 variants,” Hensley says.

The main implication of the findings, according to the researchers, is that immunological imprinting from the original ancestral SARS-CoV-2 strain has a significant impact on the antibody responses to the BA.5 and XBB variants and boosters based on them. Those responses still appear to be protective, but it is unclear that that protection will remain robust as SARS-CoV-2 variants continue to evolve. Thus, the researchers say, the effect of immune imprinting on SARS-CoV-2 responses should continue to be monitored with further studies.

“Most people alive today have been immunologically imprinted by ancestral SARS-CoV-2, but that will inevitably change as time goes on,” Hensley says, “We need to continue studying how different prior exposures impact immunity to new variants that come down the road, and how this immunity affects viral evolution.”

Support for the study was provided by the National Institutes of Health (75N93021C00015, U19AI082630, AI105343, AI108545, AI155577, AI149680), the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy, the Burroughs Wellcome Fund and the Boehringer Ingelheim Fonds.

###

Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.

The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.

The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.

Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.

END



ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

New simpler and cost-effective forensics test helps identify touch DNA

New simpler and cost-effective forensics test helps identify touch DNA
2024-03-14
DURHAM, N.H.—Television dramas, like CSI and NCIS, make criminal investigations look easy. In real life, DNA testing can be challenging and requires expensive equipment, special facilities and extensive training to identify DNA from a crime scene and determine which belongs to a potential suspect and which may have been transferred from someone who was never there. Research from the University of New Hampshire has found a less expensive and easier to use test to learn more about forensic touch DNA. This research has important implications for forensic investigations and ...

First call of the FRONTIERS residency program receives 33 applications from science journalists

2024-03-14
The first call for applications for the FRONTIERS journalist residencies closed on 5 March 2024 and attracted 33 submissions. The competition was open to any science journalist interested in a residency of three to five months at a research institution in the EU or associated country. Applications will now be evaluated by a committee composed of members of the FRONTIERS consortium and its Advisory Board. In this first round of submissions, journalists from five continents applied for residencies at host institutions in thirteen different countries. There were applications from experienced journalists and junior ones with journalistic projects in all scientific domains. The results ...

How does the body avoid that multiple sperm fertilize an egg?

How does the body avoid that multiple sperm fertilize an egg?
2024-03-14
With the help of the ESRF, researchers from Karolinska Institutet (Sweden) have discovered the reproductive mechanism that permanently blocks polyspermy — a pathologic condition that arises when more than one sperm fuses with the egg, and which is lethal for embryo development. They also revealed the atomic architecture of the egg coat, which explains a set of genetic mutations causing infertility and it could make an impact in the development of non-hormonal contraception. The results are out in the journal Cell. Infertility ...

ASU Biodesign institute scientist Hao Yan receives prestigious Humboldt Research Award

ASU Biodesign institute scientist Hao Yan receives prestigious Humboldt Research Award
2024-03-14
Hao Yan, director of the Biodesign Center for Molecular Design and Biomimetics at Arizona State University and the Milton D. Glick Distinguished Professor within ASU’s School of Molecular Sciences, has been honored with the Humboldt Research Award by the Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung Foundation. This prestigious $65,000 award acknowledges Yan's extensive achievements in research and education. "The institute is thrilled that the Humboldt Society is honoring Hao for his pathbreaking research and outstanding contributions as a mentor to young scientists,” says Joshua ...

Henry Ford Health cardiologists lead national study on novel bleeding monitoring system

Henry Ford Health cardiologists lead national study on novel bleeding monitoring system
2024-03-14
DETROIT (March 14, 2024) – Interventional cardiologists at Henry Ford Hospital led a national multi-center clinical study, dubbed the “SAFE-MCS” study, that evaluated the safety of complex high-risk percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) using mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and surveillance with the Early Bird® Bleed Monitoring System (EBBMS). PCI is a non-surgical procedure used to treat the blockages in a coronary artery that opens narrowed or blocked sections of the artery, restoring blood flow to the heart. “This study is the first ...

Ecology: Increasing sea temperatures associated with higher bull shark abundance

2024-03-14
Increasing sea surface temperatures over the past 20 years in Mobile Bay — an estuary in the US state of Alabama — have coincided with five-fold increases in the abundance of juvenile bull sharks (Carcharhinus leucas), according to a study published in Scientific Reports. Bull sharks are found globally in warm, shallow coastal waters in both fresh and saltwater environments. They help balance and maintain the health of coastal ecosystems by regulating prey populations. Along with great white shark (Carcharodon carcharias) and tiger shark (Galeocerdo cuvier), they are among the shark species that are most like to negatively interact with humans. Lindsay ...

New study examines if ‘inoperable’ pancreatic tumors can be safely removed

New study examines if ‘inoperable’ pancreatic tumors can be safely removed
2024-03-14
LOS ANGELES — A clinical trial from Keck Medicine of USC aims to provide a surgical solution for patients with a form of advanced pancreatic cancer previously considered inoperable.   The study will investigate if chemotherapy followed by a novel type of surgery to remove the cancer is a safe and effective option for patients with locally advanced pancreatic cancer, meaning that the cancer has not spread to other organs, but has grown into or close to nearby blood vessels that surround the pancreas.  “Usually, these types of tumors cannot be ...

Terminator-style robots more likely to be blamed for civilian deaths

2024-03-14
Advanced killer robots are more likely to blamed for civilian deaths than military machines, new research has revealed. The University of Essex study shows that high-tech bots will be held more responsible for fatalities in identical incidents. Led by the Department of Psychology’s Dr Rael Dawtry it highlights the impact of autonomy and agency. And showed people perceive robots to be more culpable if described in a more advanced way. It is hoped the study – published in The Journal of Experimental Social Psychology ...

An electricity generator inspired by the drinking bird toy powers electronics with evaporated water

An electricity generator inspired by the drinking bird toy powers electronics with evaporated water
2024-03-14
Inspired by the classic drinking bird toy, scientists in Hong Kong and Guangzhou, China have developed an engine that efficiently converts energy from water evaporation into electricity to power small electronics. The device produces energy outputs exceeding 100 volts—much higher than other techniques that generate electricity from water—and can operate for several days using only 100 milliliters of water as fuel, according to a study published March 14 in the journal Device. “The drinking bird triboelectric hydrovoltaic generator offers a unique means to power small electronics in ambient ...

Cell focus issue explores sex and gender in science

Cell focus issue explores sex and gender in science
2024-03-14
Cell, the flagship biology journal of Cell Press, presents a landmark issue on sex and gender in science. It includes a collection of articles on topics related to strategies for promoting gender equality in academia, enhancing rigor in the study of sex-related variables, and supporting transgender researchers. The special content, scheduled to appear online on March 14, 2024, also discusses the past, present, and future of research on sex and gender. To mark the occasion, Cell Press’s parent company, Elsevier, is announcing updated guidelines on reporting ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Most advanced artificial touch for brain-controlled bionic hand

Compounding drought and climate effects disrupt soil water dynamics in grasslands

Multiyear “megadroughts” becoming longer and more severe under climate change

Australopithecines at South African cave site were not eating substantial amounts of meat

An AI model developed to design proteins simulates 500 million years of protein evolution in developing new fluorescent protein

Fine-tuned brain-computer interface makes prosthetic limbs feel more real

New chainmail-like material could be the future of armor

The megadroughts are upon us

Eavesdropping on organs: Immune system controls blood sugar levels

Quantum engineers ‘squeeze’ laser frequency combs to make more sensitive gas sensors

New study reveals how climate change may alter hydrology of grassland ecosystems

Polymer research shows potential replacement for common superglues with a reusable and biodegradable alternative 

Research team receives $1.5 million to study neurological disorders linked to long COVID

Research using non-toxic bacteria to fight high-mortality cancers prepares for clinical trials

Do parents really have a favorite child? Here’s what new research says

Mussel bed surveyed before World War II still thriving

ACS Annual Report: Cancer mortality continues to drop despite rising incidence in women; rates of new diagnoses under 65 higher in women than men

Fewer skin ulcers in Werner syndrome patients treated with pioglitazone

Study finds surprising way that genetic mutation causes Huntington’s disease, transforming understanding of the disorder

DNA motors found to switch gears

Human ancestor thrived longer in harsher conditions than previous estimates

Evolution: Early humans adapted to extreme desert conditions over one million years ago

Race and ethnicity and diffusion of telemedicine in Medicaid for schizophrenia care after onset of the COVID-19 pandemic

Changes in support for advance provision and over-the-counter access to medication abortion

Protein level predicts immunotherapy response in bowel cancer

The staying power of bifocal contact lens benefits in young kids

Dose-dependent relationship between alcohol consumption and the risks of hepatitis b virus-associated cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma: A meta-analysis and systematic review

International Alliance for Primary Immunodeficiency Societies selects Rockefeller University Press to publish new Journal of Human Immunity

Leader in mission-driven open publishing wins APE Award for Innovation in Scholarly Communication

Innovative 6D pose dataset sets new standard for robotic grasping performance

[Press-News.org] Initial SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations prime immune cells to respond to subsequent variants
Findings on “immunological imprinting” could affect future vaccine designs