(ANSA) - ROME, JANUARY 05 - The vaccination against Covid protects from the Omicron variant. Even if the antibodies drop over time and don't recognize the new variants well, the T cells of the immune system remain on guard. This is evidenced by a new study by the Research Institute and Neurorehabilitation Hospital Santa Lucia IRCCS in Rome, which shows the ability of the T cells of the immune system to recognize the new variant and therefore to protect against serious illness and hospitalization. For the study, immunological analyzes were conducted on blood samples from 61 donors who had carried out different types of vaccinations. The protocol used for the research consists in the exposure of donor T lymphocytes to the Spike protein of the original SARS-CoV-2 strain,against which the vaccines currently in use have been prepared. 100% of donors responded with activation of coronavirus-specific T cells. The T lymphocytes were then exposed to mutated fragments of the Omicron variant Spike protein generating a cellular response in approximately 70% of individuals. However, this response was reduced by nearly 50%, which meant fewer cells recognized the mutated Spike protein. In light of these data, the residual efficacy of the mRNA vaccines was therefore estimated to be around 80% compared to that against the original variant. "Antibodies - underlines Giovanna Borsellino, director of the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology of the Santa Lucia IRCCS - are only part of the tools that the immune system uses to fight infections.
Cellular immunity is made up of an army of blood cells trained to recognize the virus, also endowed with memory and longevity: T lymphocytes. With this work it has been shown that they also recognize the Omicron variant, albeit to a lesser extent than the virus. Wuhan original against which we were vaccinated.
These T lymphocytes have, chemically, a broader view of the virus than antibodies, and are able to overlook small changes in its structure, always remaining on target ". (ANSA).
