The first stage of human trials of the Oxford vaccine, against the Covid-19 pandemic developed by researchers at Oxford University, showed that the vaccine triggered two types of immune response, so that not only does it stimulate the production of antibodies - proteins that can bind to the virus, preventing it from Entering cells and forming similar stimulation in immune cells against them - it also leads to the production of T cells that attack the infected human cells.
Expected or surprising results?
Danny Altman, professor of immunology at Imperial College in London, said these results are to be expected, and that virtually any vaccine must do so.
While a first lecture on viral immunology at the University of Birmingham, Dr. Zania Stamatake, said that questions remain, but the results have raised a degree of comfort for immunologists, and what we know is that vaccines are able to derive the right kind of immune response, and this is a very encouraging sign.
Hope for the results of the Oxford vaccine
The results offer the hope that the immunity from the Oxford vaccine can work against Covid-19. When scientists study preventive immunity against any disease, they study different readings from many types of cells and mediators in the immune system, but it will be difficult to determine the link that will achieve protection Absolute immunity, the level the vaccine needs to provide for maximum protection, and for the Oxford vaccine, two responses can be identified. The first is antibodies and T cells that can identify and attack the infected cells.
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Not only is the Oxford vaccine achieving these results, the Moderna vaccine produced by an American company has demonstrated its ability to achieve the same responses from both antibodies and T cells, and is based on viral RNA, which has stimulated both paths.
What does this mean for immunity?
So far, the matter is not clear, and some scientists have been unwilling to comment on the results of the Oxford vaccine, at least until the full study is published, but one thing is certain is that it is still a long way to see if the Oxford vaccine is able to provide protection from Covid-19 , Despite hopes that it will be ready by September, the most important step will be to assess this protection and the duration of the vaccine.
Recent studies indicate that the proportion of antibodies decreased sharply in those recovering from Covid-19 after 3 months, and the main question remains whether the antibodies resulting from the vaccine will also decrease.
How quickly is a vaccine found?
Altman said that the Moderna and Oxford vaccines triggered an immune response in a different way to normal infection, but even if the proportion of antibodies diminished, the body would still be able to produce it much faster the next time of injury, while the T-cell response tended to last longer, and therefore might provide protection For a longer period.
For her part, Stamataki said, the response time of antibodies and T cells varies with each vaccine and cannot be accurately predicted, as it differs from normal infection, so we must wait to see how long the response time will remain in the bodies of volunteers.