Moderna booster dose has been shown to be effective against Delta variant

When the long-awaited vaccines finally appeared on the scene of the global pandemic, SARS-CoV-2,In his attempt not to be defeated, he mutated and spawned new variants that continue to hold the world on their toes a year and six months later.

Thus, new studies had to examine whether the authorized emergency formulations maintained their effectiveness against the new variants.

Now, a study published recently in the journal Nature, realized that Moderna’s vaccine booster doses are safe, well-tolerated, and increase antibody levels in all variants of SARS-CoV-2, including the worrisome newer beta, gamma, and delta.

These are the main results of a clinical trial still in progress and carried out by the American pharmaceutical company, the details of which have just been published in the scientific journal. The emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2, and the possibility that they may be able to neutralize antibodies, has sparked interest in verifying whether the booster doses and specific vaccines for each variant are still optimal.

To verify the safety and effectiveness of a booster dose against SARS-CoV-2, Moderna conducted a trial with 80 people who six months earlier had received the full schedule of their vaccine (mRNA-1273) – two doses.

“Participants in the clinical trial who received a primary series of two doses of the mRNA-1273 COVID-19 vaccine approximately six months earlier entered an open-label phase II study (NCT04405076) to evaluate the primary targets of safety and immunogenicity of a single booster dose of mRNA-1273 or variant-modified mRNA, including multivalent mRNA-1273,211, ”the authors said in the research. “As the trial is currently ongoing, this exploratory interim analysis includes preliminary descriptive results from only four booster groups. they detailed. All boosters, including mRNA-1273, numerically increased neutralizing titers against wild-type D614G compared to peak titers against wild-type D614G measured one month after primary analysis. “

And after recognizing that “Currently, a threshold for neutralizing antibody titer that predicts protection against SARS-CoV-2 infection in humans is unknown”, the investigators assured that “however, the reduction of the titers of neutralizing antibodies in vitro against variants compared to the wild-type D614G virus increases the possibility of breakthrough infections and the decrease in the effectiveness of current vaccines against SARS -CoV-2.

During the trial, led by Darin Edwards of Moderna, participants, divided into four groups of 20 people, received a booster dose of a parent vaccine or a modified variant vaccine, such as the multivariate vaccine. to mRNA-1273,211.

Immediately before the booster dose, the levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 in the blood had decreased compared to measurements taken one month after participants received the second dose. In addition, the levels of neutralizing antibodies against the beta, gamma and delta variants were also low or undetectable, the study points out.

They found that the three booster vaccines tested increased levels of neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and that the increases were “significant” in people who received the Moderna vaccine, the original (mRNA-1273) and modified vaccines. 1273,211).

Additionally, all three boosters increased antibody levels against beta, gamma, and delta variants, among other variants.

The authors acknowledge that this preliminary analysis was done with a small group of people and that their results are based on treatment groups that were not randomized but believe that The mRNA platform approach against the disturbing variants of SARS-CoV-2 in this trial appears to be effective for the development of booster vaccines.

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