Monitoring antibody protection against SARS-CoV-2 variants

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Vaccines were rapidly developed following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, and the protection from infection and more importantly from severe disease they afford has saved may lives. Antibody responses to the spike protein following vaccination or natural infection are believed, along with T cell responses to mediate protection. Since its emergence in late 2019 the SARS-CoV-2 virus has undergone significant evolutionary change and the spike protein is a hotspot for mutations. Successive waves of new variants have dominated infections and then been replaced by new strains. Mutations in spike occur in regions crucial for the binding of antibodies, induced by vaccination and infection, rendering them less able to neutralise the virus and prevent infection. There is thus a huge selective pressure for the SARS-CoV-2 virus to continue to evolve and escape immune responses in order to maintain infectious cycles in the human population, many of whom have received multiple vaccines and natural infections.It is now clear that SARS-CoV-2 is established in humans and will be present for the long term. This programme of work aims to study the continued evolution of the virus and its ability to escape the immune response. Our findings will aid the assessment of the risk that newly emerging variants pose, the choice of future vaccines for vulnerable populations and may lead to the development of monoclonal antibody theraies.