The spectacular picture above shows the response of the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine to the Covid-19 vaccine cells.
Cells produce protein spikes similar to SARS-Cov-19 coronavirus, which is very important for triggering the immune response necessary to protect us from disease.
The new study compares the protein peaks produced on the cell surface after Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccination with the natural protein peaks of SARS-CoV-19 coronavirus for the first time.
The image shows that the virus produced in our cells after vaccination is very similar to this virus. In this way, the immune system is activated to fight COVID-19.
The SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 has a large number of spikes protruding from its surface and is used to adhere to and enter human cells. These peaks are coated with sugar and are called glycans.
The vaccine jointly developed by the University of Oxford and the University of AstraZeneca is a vaccine vectorized by adenovirus, which includes obtaining a safe version of the virus and adding part of the pathogen information (in this case, the SAR-CoV-2 spike) to produce a target for the target Neutralizing antibodies.
In this new study, published in the ACS Central Science Journal, scientists from the University of Oxford and the University of Southampton worked together to find the peak of SARS-CoV-2, but this time it was produced by cells after vaccination. Oxford-AstraZeneca.
Scientists exposed a series of cells to the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine in vitro. They used an imaging technique called cryomicroscope electron (cryoEM) to take thousands of images and then combined them to clearly show the protein peaks produced in the cells. With cryoEM (a very powerful technology), they can visualize a dense matrix of peaks that have formed and appear on the cell surface.
Subsequently, chemical analysis of the glycans coating the newly formed protein spikes revealed that they were very similar to the glycans surrounding the SARS-CoV-2 spike.
This is the basic feature of a vaccine because it means that it can provide a close simulation of the coronavirus, which is essential for triggering an immune response against COVID-19.
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Professor Crispin explained: “In this study, we set out to observe how similar vaccine-induced spikes are to infectious virus spikes. We are very happy to see a large number of spikes similar to the coronavirus itself.
It is hoped that this study will provide the public with more insights and help them understand how the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine works. Many people may not realize that their cells have become tiny factories of virus spikes, which activate the immune response necessary to fight disease. This also ensures that the vaccine is working and produces the substances we need to present to the immune system. “
This study was published in the “Native SARS-CoV-2 Spike Glycoprotein Expressed by ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 / AZD1222 Vaccine”. ACS Central Science
Complete bibliographic information
The “natural SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein” study expressed by ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 / AZD1222 vaccine has been jointly published by the ACS Central Bureau of Science and DOI at https://doi.org/10.1021/acscentsci.1c00080 , Released on April 2, 2021.
Agents: Watanabe Yasushi, Louis Mendenza, Elizabeth R. Allen, Andrew Howe, Mercedes Lee, Joel D. Allen, Simancy Jova, David Pu Lido, Francis Donnelen, Hannah Davis, Marta Uraszevska, Sandra Berry Ramerstorfer, Susan Morris, Anna Sophia Krebs, Wanwisa Dejnirattisai, Juthathip Mongkolsapaya, Piyada Supasa, Gavin R. Screaton, Catherine M. Green, Teresa Lambe *, Peijun Zhang *, Sarah C. Gilbert * and Max Crispin *.