Coronaviruses are slippery, and that makes it hard to create effective vaccines that provide long-term protection. Now, University of Connectiut (UConn) researchers have developed a new way to model the spike protein of the virus and test its binding to antibodies. That could give scientists a firmer grip on the virus that causes COVID-19.
By now, the majority of adult citizens in the US have been vaccinated against COVID, and many have had booster shots as well. Despite this, about 30% of hospitalized COVID patients in Connecticut are fully vaccinated. Although there are several different COVID vaccines in use around the world, none of them provides long-term, durable protection against the virus.
The problem is the coronavirus's spike protein. The spikes coat the virus, and are so wiggly and flexible that they slip through the clutches of antibodies like a weasel through a wedding ring. Without a firm grasp on the spike, the immune system cannot make good antibodies. And without good neutralizing antibodies, the immune system's memory of the virus is too fuzzy to last.