UK Study Says Common Flu T Cells May Provide Protection Against COVID-19, Alternative Vaccine Material

Ilustrasi flu. (Wikimedia Commons/zhizhou deng)

JAKARTA - High levels of T cells from the common cold virus could provide protection against COVID-19, an Imperial College London study published on Monday two weeks ago found, which could inform approaches to second-generation vaccines.

Immunity to COVID-19 is a complex picture, while there is evidence of decreased antibody levels six months after vaccination, T-cells are also believed to play an important role in providing protection.

The study, which began in September 2020, looked at levels of cross-reactive T cells produced by the previous common cold in 52 household contacts of positive cases of COVID-19 shortly after exposure, to see if they continued to develop the infection.

It was found that 26 people who were not infected had significantly higher levels of T cells than those who were infected. However, Imperial didn't say how long the protection from the T-cells would last.

"We found that pre-existing high levels of T cells, which the body makes when infected with other human coronaviruses such as the common cold, may protect against COVID-19 infection," said study author Dr. Rhia Kundu, reported by Reuters January 10.

The authors of the study, published in 'Nature Communications', said the internal protein of the SARS-CoV-2 virus targeted by T-cells, could offer an alternative target for vaccine makers.

To note, the current COVID-19 vaccine targets spike proteins, which mutate regularly, creating Omicron-like variants that reduce the vaccine's efficacy against symptomatic infections.

"In contrast, the internal proteins targeted by the protective T-cells we identified mutated much less," Professor Ajit Lalvani, co-author of the study, said.

"As a result, they are highly conserved among the various SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron. Therefore, a novel vaccine that includes this conserved internal protein will induce a broad protective T-cell response that should protect against the SARS-CoV-2 variant. now and in the future," he said.