Laboratory study shows weaker defense response in omicron

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A laboratory study by the Institute of Virology of the Medical University of Innsbruck shows that the immune system inhibits the new virus variant Omicron significantly worse. Neutralizing antibodies in blood samples of recovered and double vaccinated persons were examined. This showed that vaccination protection declines significantly within a few months. Study author and virologist Dorothee von Laer urgently called for booster vaccination in an APA interview.

Even those who have recovered should definitely be vaccinated to prevent a repeated corona infection. Initial studies from South Africa indicate that convalescents are more likely to become infected with omicron than was the case with previous variants of the coronavirus. This has implications for those who have not yet been vaccinated, Von Laer warned, “The more vaccinated people carry the virus without symptoms, the more dangerous the situation is for the unvaccinated.”

“Those who recovered and were vaccinated at least once showed the best immune response against the new Omicron variant in our laboratory studies,” Von Laer reported. But vaccine protection declines over time. Von Laer recommended, “Double-vaccinated people should get the third prick sooner rather than later.” Preliminary data from laboratory studies at Frankfurt University Hospital would support this thesis: “Virologist Sandra Ciesek and her team were able to show that the third prick provides good protection against Omikron,” Von Laer knew. Those data have not yet been peer-reviewed and were published Wednesday in a preprint paper. Biontech/Pfizer also published similar findings, he said.

The present results would suggest that developing a vaccine adapted to Omicron is reasonable, the virologist emphasized. “The goal would be to have a vaccine that provides longer protection,” she said. This, however, is “not there yet.” Von Laer therefore strongly advised against waiting for a vaccine optimized for Omicron, but to have a booster vaccine administered as soon as possible.

In the laboratory study that has now been completed, only neutralizing antibodies were examined. However, the immune response is made up of various factors, including the so-called “killer cells” (T cells), which play an important role. They protect against severe courses of the disease. At present, it can be assumed that the omicron mutant spreads much faster and is more infectious than previous mutations. Initial studies point to milder courses. The Innsbruck laboratory study could not yet provide any insights into this, because clinical studies are still pending.

In clinical follow-up studies, the Innsbruck Institute of Virology wants to shed light on other aspects of the immune response, such as the T cell, Von Laer announced. In addition, the focus is now on understanding “how the virus behaves and replicates.” It is still questionable, he said, whether Omicron would displace Delta. Should that be the case, it would be all the more important to achieve a high vaccination coverage rate, Von Laer never tired of emphasizing.

A preprint paper with the study results is expected to be published online later Thursday, the expert let it be known. There has been no peer review yet. An illustration on Twitter, which Von Laer’s colleague, the Innsbruck virologist Janine Kimpel, published on Thursday morning, had attracted worldwide attention in expert circles within a very short time.

For example, Austrian virologist Florian Krammer, who works in the U.S., called the Innsbruck team’s investigation “excellent work” on Twitter. The initial findings from laboratory tests on Omicron’s ability to bypass built-up protection give the scientist from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York pause for thought.

Regarding vaccine protection, Krammer once again emphasized in a press briefing organized by the German Science Media Center (SMC) that it does not pay to wait for inactivated vaccines or so-called dead vaccines. These might “not necessarily elicit a good T-cell response and only induce low neutralizing antibody titers.” In addition, he said, this is where the efficacy of the immune response may decline the most.

“So we need to be able to rely on other safety nets of our immune system,” the researcher said. If one has basically built up fewer antibodies and a lower T-cell response, it will be all the easier “for a strong escape variant like Omicron to induce disease.” It must be acknowledged that not all vaccines are equal, “we definitely see differences,” Krammer said.