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A recent study has revealed that the latest set of COVID-19 vaccines offers no increased protection against the JN.1 variant, which continues to circulate, posing a significant challenge to global efforts to combat the pandemic.
JN.1, an offshoot of the Omicron lineage, originates from BA.2.86 and was first identified in Luxembourg in August. Classified as a variant of interest (VOI) by the World Health Organization (WHO) due to its rapid spread, JN.1 harbors the additional mutation L455S in the spike protein, potentially conferring immune-evasion properties.
The study, published on a preprint site and awaiting peer review, investigated the efficacy of XBB 1.5 boosters against the JN.1 variant among 76 individuals. Despite providing improved coverage overall, the vaccines failed to adequately protect against the globally dominant JN.1 variant.
Alejandro B. Balazs, from the Ragon Institute of Massachusetts General Hospital, highlighted the findings, stating, “Remarkably, while many individual mutations that emerged between 2020 and 2022 exhibit escape from sera following primary vaccination, few escape boosted sera.”
“An updated XBB.1.5 booster significantly increased titers against newer variants but not JN.1,” he added.
Furthermore, the study uncovered that newly emerging COVID variants employ more efficient mechanisms for entering cells beyond the common entry point – ACE2.
“In addition to escape from vaccine sera, we found that mutations also contribute significantly to the ability of pseudovirus to infect cells, suggesting that variant selection is optimizing both antibody escape and viral entry,” the team elucidated.
The study’s findings underscore the urgent need for novel approaches to effectively control SARS-CoV-2 transmission, as seasonal boosters alone may not suffice against evolving variants with immune escape potential.
As the global fight against COVID-19 continues, researchers and health authorities are faced with the challenge of developing strategies to combat emerging variants while ensuring the effectiveness of vaccination efforts.
