A new article, co-published by members of the Attomarker team and published in Frontiers in Virology, presents the first body of work examining the effects of chronic SARS-CoV-2 exposure, tracking the quality of antibodies produced over time in a real-world, high-exposure cohort of teachers.
We have learnt a great deal about antibody endotypes (the different parts of the virus to which antibodies are generated), which is an important consideration when assessing whether vaccines remain suitably protective as the virus evolves and mutates over time.
In this study, we collected samples from teachers at a local school to better understand how antibody levels change over time in a group of individuals working in a frontline setting with regular exposure to the virus.
We measured antibody concentrations, as well as how effectively these antibodies bind to the viral surface. We found that 75% of the group had strong antibody concentrations against all ten SARS-CoV-2 variants tested (from Wuhan to Omicron BA.5). However, only 14% showed consistently high-quality antibodies across all variants.
These findings may help explain why vaccination does not always prevent infection with COVID-19, and may also provide insight into why some individuals go on to develop post-viral conditions such as long COVID.
Read the full article here: Frontiers | Mass-standardised antibody concentration and affinity immunity endotypes to the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants in a high-exposure cohort