Viruses like SARS-CoV-2 use sugar molecules to hide from the immune system, but scientists at Scripps Research have designed a universal coronavirus vaccine that strips these sugars and exposes a stable, rarely mutating part of the spike protein. This approach triggered strong immune responses in
  • @Knock_Knock_Lemmy_In@lemmy.worldEnglish
    1•13 days ago

    Does the sugar stripping affect any other bodily functions? Stripping is temporary but it still may have permanent effects for some existing conditions.

    Does a coronavirus need to be introduced at the same time sugars are stripped or is it assumed that there are already many in the body?

    • Atelopus-zeteki
      1•13 days ago

      Ok, you’re missing a bit here. The “sugar stripping” happens in the lab, during the production of the immunogen, which would then later applied as a vaccine. From there the vaccine induces a response from the immune system, creating antibodies which are specific to the highly conserved part of the stalk structures on corona viruses. As a result one’s immune system is prepared for when a corona virus shows up at some point after the vaccination.