Scientists are working tirelessly to develop a vaccine against Covid-19. While some laboratories are announcing the imminent arrival of their serum on the market, a new mutation in the coronavirus responsible for Covid is troubling researchers.
The N439K mutation
The new coronavirus has been evolving for some time. In November 2020, it was in Denmark that several million mink had to be slaughtered. Some of them carried a virus mutation, possibly transmissible to humans. To avoid any risk of contamination, the decision taken for these animals was irreversible. In Scotland, a mutated version of the virus, renamed N439K, was discovered last summer. Since then, it has been spotted on different continents of Europe as well as in the United States. The particularity of this mutation is to impact the Spike protein, the key which allows the Sars-Cov-2 virus to enter and infect healthy cells in the body, thanks to a mediator, the ACE2 receptors. It is also one of the targets of our immune system to fight against the pathogen, because it is on this protein that the defense substances developed by the human body (neutralizing antibodies) are found.
Vaccine efficacy compromised
According to Pascal Meylan, infectious disease specialist and Professor at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland “ if this protein is modified, the antibodies no longer recognize it, or less well, and no longer provide, or no longer as much, protection “. What worries the researchers is that the modification of the protein following a mutation in the virus can blind the antibodies, which can no longer detect it. It is around Spike that research is carried out to find an effective vaccine against Covid-19, as indicated by Inserm. The N439K mutation can therefore compromise the effectiveness of vaccines when they are not yet marketed. According to the Professor, “ This is a possibility that unfortunately cannot be ruled out “. He wants to be reassuring despite everything, ” there are several reasons which suggest that N439K, as well as the other mutations, could be controlled ”.
