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The response of the biomedical research community to the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic has been awe-inspiring, with the development of multiple effective vaccines occurring within an unprecedented time frame. Two of these are the much-heralded Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccines against the virus’s spike protein. Despite early data showing that both vaccines are extremely effective, little is known about the durability of the elicited immune response and how well these vaccines protect against SARS-CoV-2 variants. In their study published recently in Nature (1), Wang et al. present crucial data obtained from a cohort of twenty volunteers who received either vaccine. They found that both vaccines generated antibody profiles directed against similar epitopes in the spike receptor binding domain (RBD) that are consistent with those targeted in natural infection, and grouped these antibodies into four classes based on which region of the RBD bears the respective epitope. Class 1 and 2 antibodies are particularly potent and abundant, and target regions involving the key RBD residues K417, E484, and N501 that are known to be mutated in several variants. The authors used pseudotyped viruses to show that the documented mutations at these sites do diminish the neutralization potency of both vaccinee and convalescent plasma, though the fact that this effect is relatively modest highlights the polyclonal nature of the immune response elicited by the vaccines. Nevertheless, the work of Wang et al. emphasizes the importance of persistent vigilance by researchers to study new viral spike variants. In addition, monoclonal antibody therapies will need to be thoughtfully combined to include antibodies against non-overlapping and conserved regions. Finally, continuous assessment of vaccine efficacy is essential as novel variants are detected, though the mRNA-based vaccine platform offers the adaptability necessary to keep pace with SARS-CoV-2 evolution.
GeneTex is developing a series of recombinant spike proteins that contain the various mutations found in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil variants. These proteins, all produced in a human cell expression system, are in the S1 RBD or the S2 extracellular domain (ECD) contexts. Structural and/or functional validation is performed using binding assays, neutralization assays, and SDS-PAGE. Please see the featured products below or click here to view the most updated information regarding available SARS-CoV-2 recombinant protein products for your research.
Featured Products
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SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Spike RBD (N501Y Mutant) protein, His tag (active) (GTX136014-pro)
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SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Spike RBD (K417N, E484K, N501Y Mutant) protein, His tag (active) (GTX136022-pro)
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SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Spike RBD (K417T, E484K, N501Y Mutant) protein, His tag (GTX136043-pro)
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SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) Spike (D614G Mutant) protein (ECD), His tag (active) (GTX02575-pro)
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Reference:
- Nature. 2021 Feb 10. doi: 10.1038/s41586-021-03324-6.
