AUSTIN (KXAN) — A team of researchers, led by folks at the University of Texas at Austin, believe they’ve found an antibody that protects against all COVID-19 variants. Antibodies attach themselves to the spike protein of a virus, preventing infection, the university explained.
The team of researchers were able to ” isolated a broadly neutralizing plasma antibody, called SC27, from a single patient,” the university said. Researchers were then able to use existing technology to find the molecular sequence of the antibody.
“One goal of this research, and vaccinology in general, is to work toward a universal vaccine that can generate antibodies and create an immune response with broad protection to a rapidly mutating virus,” said Will Voss, a recent Ph.D. graduate in cell and molecular biology in UT’s College of Natural Sciences, who co-led the study.
It comes as the nation sees a summer uptick in COVID-19 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Texas Medical Association says Texas is among states seeing the highest number of cases nationwide, as is determined by wastewater testing and COVID-19 test reporting.
“In the summer, people get hot. They go indoors where we know the virus transmits more efficiently. The vaccines that are currently available right now are not well-matched to the variants that are circulating,” said Dr. Amesh Adalja last month. He’s an infectious disease physician for Johns Hopkins University.