By Ruth Bayang
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
A recent study sheds light on the potential benefits of COVID-19 booster vaccines administered last year in shaping immune responses against the virus and its early variants. The research, conducted by experts at the University of Washington School of Medicine, underscores the importance of increasing vaccination rates to combat the pandemic.
The study, led by biochemist David Veesler, examined how repeated exposures to COVID-19 vaccines influenced the body’s immune response to subsequent infections. Known as immune imprinting, this process involves the creation of antibodies and memory cells that retain information about previous vaccine or virus exposures.
Unlike what is observed with other viruses like the flu, where imprinting diminishes after exposure to different strains, the study found a remarkable occurrence of immune imprinting in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. This imprinting gave the immune system a head start in fighting subsequent infections.
Published in the journal Immunity—a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal of immunology—on March 14, the findings analyzed plasma samples from individuals who received the XBB.1.5 mRNA booster last year, not the updated versions of the vaccines. Lead author M. Alejandra Tortorici, along with Dr. Helen Chu from the Division of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, were among the contributors to the study.
One hypothesis proposed by Veesler suggests that residents of Seattle, where most samples were collected, may have developed antibodies and memory cells from vaccination and occasional infections.
“People in Seattle, including myself, have been so compliant,” Veesler noted. “We have been exposed many, many times over the past four years through vaccination and usually at least one infection.”
Seattle was where the first U.S. death of the COVID-19 pandemic was reported— and where symptoms of the virus emerged in early 2020.
Another possibility suggested by the researchers is that the strong immune response induced by mRNA vaccines, combined with delays in updating booster compositions, influenced the imprinting process.
The study underscores the importance of vaccination efforts and ongoing research to combat COVID-19 and its variants effectively. Veesler emphasized the potential for even stronger immune responses, stating, “Most of the antibodies recalled by the updated vaccine boosters are cross-reactive and help block new variants, which is a good thing. However, could we do an even better job? The answer is most likely yes.”
Funding for the study was provided by various sources, including the National Institutes of Health, the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, the Pew Biomedical Scholars Award, and the University of Washington Arnold and Mabel Beckman Cryo-EM Center.
Find out more about the newest COVID-19 vaccination recommendation on the Washington State Department of Health’s website.
Made possible in part by the Washington State Department of Health through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This information does not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Washington State Department of Health or the Department of Health and Human Services.
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