Kwork.ru - услуги фрилансеров от 500 руб.
Home / WORLD / Study reveals trick coronavirus uses to evade immune system, which may help upgrade vaccines against new variants

Study reveals trick coronavirus uses to evade immune system, which may help upgrade vaccines against new variants

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes Covid-19, is surrounded by extended spike proteins – the primary weapon it uses to ‘pierce’ and infect human cells. Previous research produced only static models of such proteins, which failed to capture their flexibility and movement.

A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute of Biophysics in Frankfurt, Germany created a dynamic model that show how the virus’s spikes are coated in protective glycans – chains of sugar molecules acting as a ‘shield’ that helps to evade the human immune system. 

Kwork.ru - услуги фрилансеров от 500 руб.

The glycans cover almost the entire spike surface by moving back and forth “similar to car windshield wipers,” the Science Daily news website reported, citing a paper published in the PLOS Computational Biology journal.

One of the study’s authors, Mateusz Sikora, said the model would help combat emerging new variants of the coronavirus because mutations are concentrated in the spike protein. “Our approach can support the design of vaccines and therapeutic antibodies, especially when established methods struggle,” he said.

Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!

© 2021, paradox. All rights reserved.

Check Also

No ‘unfriendly nations’ for Russia, only ‘unfriendly elites’ – Putin

Russia has no intention of cancelling any country’s culture, President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday …

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *