A new coronavirus variant was recently identified in the UK. It is defined by a set of 17 mutations. One of the most significant is an N501Y mutation in the spike protein that the virus uses to bind to the human ACE2 receptor. Does this variant affect current testing methods and vaccines?
The following study (which is yet to be peer reviewed) indicates that variants of SARS-CoV-2 identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa with the N501Y mutations will not diminish the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Preprint Neutralization of N501Y mutant SARS-CoV-2 by BNT162b2 vaccin...
The CMMID article published on 23rd from UK does mention on this adversity. With respect to testing, the kits are capable to detect to E, RdRp and N genes. The mutation of this new variant is more towards Spike (S) and hence I do believe this virus wouldn't evade testing unless mutations arise in other genes as well. With regards to vaccines, I think subunit vaccines could fail while whole virion vaccines can succeed. Early days to comment on Vaccine protection against the new strain. Looking forward for more evidence from UK as they are vaccinating people as well using Astrazenaca vaccine
It depends if the huge sequence of the spike protein was included or if only some epitopes derived from S protein, and in which region they are localized. In my opinion is important to consider such mutation since it is a relevant change that could make it easy or not to be recognized by the antibodies generated by the vaccine. It depends also on where the mutation is structurally localized.
Several random mutations (F486, Q493, S494, N501, and Y505) in the spike protein of SARS CoV-2 have been described before on march 13th by Tang X and Lu J, in their paper, they describe L and S types, L most frequently in the population and aggressive and S type ancestral, less aggressive and less prevalent. The frequency of L decrease and the S increase in the population and other scientists have also focused on the changes in the spike protein. The problem is most cases in developing countries people make a PCR diagnostic and the genome is not sequenced, so we do not know which kind of strain is prevalent and focus the strategies in generating vaccines or therapy again the aggressive or the most prevalent in a population.
Several companies and Institutes working on the development of vaccines and teraphies against the COVID-19 and use different platforms and targets for eliminating the virus and more than one will be effective
You can also visit https://www.gisaid.org/
The following study (which is yet to be peer reviewed) indicates that variants of SARS-CoV-2 identified in the United Kingdom and South Africa with the N501Y mutations will not diminish the efficacy of the COVID-19 vaccines.
Preprint Neutralization of N501Y mutant SARS-CoV-2 by BNT162b2 vaccin...
Dear Savvas Lampridis, COVID vaccines might lose potency against new viral variants. Please follow the link below for detailed discussion.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-00502-w
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