Although antibodies have proven to play an invaluable role in tracking the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic, they may not have a leading role in achieving long-term immunity against the virus that the medical community relies heavily on, so it appears that the Covid-19 pandemic's immunity It can be achieved in another way.

While the latest research indicates that antibodies against Covid-19 could be reversed in only three months, new hope has emerged - mysterious T cells.

As the world became preoccupied with antibodies, researchers began to realize that there might be another form of immunity, a form, found in the body that is being discovered.

A mysterious type of white blood cell acquires great importance, which has proven to be crucial in the battle against Covid-19.

What are T cells?

T cells are a type of immune cell, the main goal of which is to identify and kill invasive pathogens or infected cells, and they do so using proteins on their surface, which can bind to proteins on the surface of diseases that attack the body.

 Each T cell is very specific, and there are a very large number of possible versions of these surface proteins, each of which can recognize a different target, and T cells remain in the blood for years after infection, so they have a long-term memory of the immune system and allow it to form a faster and more effective response When exposed to the same disease again.

The researchers tested blood samples taken years before the outbreak of the pandemic, and found T cells specially designed to detect proteins on the surface of Covid-19, and this indicates that some people already have a degree of resistance against the virus before infecting them, which is a high rate of 40-60%. .

This enhances the status of T cells as a secret source of immunity against Covid-19.

T cells and Covid-19

Adrian Heidi, professor of immunology at Kings College in London, says that looking at individuals after infection who do not need hospitalization, we see that T cells have played a big role in this, which is crucial for those who work to make antibodies and T cells That sees the virus.  

"Looking at Covid-19 patients - but I'm also happy to say, but they don't need hospitalization - it's quite clear that there are responses to T cells," he says. "And almost certainly this is very good news for those interested in vaccines, because it is clear that we are able to make antibodies and make T cells that see the virus.

However, the matter does not apply to those who needed to enter the hospital, as T cells did not play the same role that disappeared in the blood.

In sum, T cells can protect the body, possibly for years, but when the body becomes sick, T cells tend to create defensive mechanisms that protect the body against disease.

Will this produce a vaccine?

If the old exposure to cold viruses really leads to milder cases of Covid-19, then this augurs with the development of the vaccine, because it is evidence that the stuck T cells can provide great protection, even after years of manufacture.

Heidi adds, however, that even if that were not the case, T cell sharing could be beneficial - and the more we understood what was happening, the better.