Researchers at the University of Colorado Boulder have developed a platform that can quickly identify common mutations on the SARS-CoV-2 virus that allow it to escape antibodies and infect cells. The findings were published today in Cell Reports.
“We’ve developed a predictive tool that can tell you ahead of time which antibodies are going to be effective against circulating strains of the virus,” said lead author Timothy Whitehead. “But the implications for this technology are more profound: If you can predict what the variants will be in a given season, you could get vaccinated to match the sequence that will occur and short-circuit this seasonal variation.”
The team developed a genetically engineered strain of common baker’s yeast, which could display different portions of the viral spike protein on its surface. Then, they discovered how to screen through thousands of mutations to find the ones that evaded neutralizing antibodies.
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The researchers have already found some of the same mutations now circulating the globe and identified more mutations with the potential to evade our immune systems. They will also provide all their libraries of information, methods, and software as an openly available community resource to accelerate new therapeutic strategies against SARS-CoV-2. “You can use it for mapping trajectories for influenza and HIV potentially; for other viral diseases that are known, and also potentially emerging pandemic ones,” he said.