New target for COVID-19 jabs identified which could 'eliminate SARS-CoV-2 at the very outset'

Subsequent vaccines for COVID-19 should aim to induce an immune response against ‘replication proteins’, essential for the very earliest stages of the viral cycle, concludes new research carried out by University College London (UCL) scientists.

Their theory is that, by designing vaccines that activate immune memory cells, known as T cells, to attack infected cells expressing this part of the virus’s internal machinery, it may be possible to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 at the very outset, thereby helping to stop its spread.

This approach could complement currently licensed COVID-19 vaccines, which only trigger immune responses to the spike protein that protrudes from the outside of the virus.