Polish-Belgian scientists described in Nature Communications the adaptive mechanism in SARS-CoV-2 variants, which increases the adhesion of the virus to cells.
The research has revealed more stable, and thus more difficult to understand, bindings of SARS-CoV-2 variants with receptors in human cells, – said Dr Adolfo Poma Bernaola from the International Center for Innovative Biomaterials Research ICRI-BioM at the Lodz University of Technology, who leads the Polish research team.
According to the researchers, mutations in the virus, especially the Kappa variant, a close cousin of Delta, are adopting a new strategy to bind more efficiently to the cells they are to attack.
The researchers in the article are analyzing the adaptation of vaccines to the new variants. Following the introduction of vaccines, especially mRNA, it was argued that they had the advantage that they could be readily adapted to remain effective against the new variants. As the Delta variant has been spreading for several months and the Omicron variant has recently emerged, a mandatory third dose adjustment of the vaccine to new coronavirus variants should be considered in the near future.
