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Comment: Invest in Vaccines Now To Prevent The Next Pandemic
Comment: Invest in Vaccines Now To Prevent The Next Pandemic
Comment
T
COVID variants signal the he rapid development and delivery of accommodating. A vaccine could take much
highly effective COVID-19 vaccines less longer to make. Even SARS-CoV-2 could be
importance of rational than a year after the emergence of the becoming more problematic for vaccines,
vaccine design based disease is a huge success story. This because of the emergence of new variants. We
was possible, in part, because of cer- call for an alternative approach to pandemic
on broadly neutralizing tain properties of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 preparedness.
antibodies. that favour vaccine design — in particular, A special class of protective antibodies
the spike protein on the virus’s surface. This called broadly neutralizing antibodies (see
prompts the body to make protective neutral- ‘Pan-virus vaccines’) acts against many differ-
izing antibodies (proteins that bind to viruses ent strains of related virus — for example, of
and prevent them from infecting human cells). HIV, influenza or coronavirus. Such antibodies
These are most likely to be responsible for the could be used as first-line drugs to prevent or
efficacy of current COVID-19 vaccines. treat viruses in a given family, including new
The next pathogen to emerge might be less lineages or strains that have not yet emerged.