Better monitoring key to curb virus: Virologist

New Delhi, Feb. 21: Variants of the Coronavirus carrying two specific mutations in their spike protein may evade antibodies and make vaccines less effective, according to eminent virologist Shahid Jameel, who says the need of the hour is to improve surveillance for “homegrown” lineages of the virus.

Jameel, Director of the Trivedi School of Biosciences at Ashoka University in Haryana, said these two mutations would lead to a “drastic change” in the structure of the part of the spike protein that binds with antibodies, making vaccines less effective against such variants.

The spike protein of the Coronavirus enables it to bind to the ACE2 receptor on host cells — a process which studies have show to be crucial for the virus to enter the cells and cause infection.

According to the noted virologist, currently, the data is consistent with poor activity of neutralising antibodies against the South African lineage of the Coronavirus, which carries both these mutations on the spike protein. At GYANTEEKA, an online discussion series hosted by the Indian National Young Academy of Science, New Delhi to spread awareness and bust myths on vaccines, Jameel said these mutations are in the 501st and 484th amino acid building blocks that make up the virus spike protein. In his presentation, the noted virologist said both these mutations happen at the interface where antibodies bind to the virus spike protein.

While in India, there have not been reports of community transmission of these virus, Jameel believes the need of the hour is also to look out for homegrown variants.