this post was submitted on 25 Mar 2025
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[–] [email protected] 28 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (24 children)

OK, so if I understand this correctly, they don't train the immune system to target these sugars, since they're used by human cells. Instead, they remove them during the vaccine administration so the immune system can train on the bare spike protein. Cool. Now how would this help when new virus copies come in with sugar-coated proteins, some time after the sugar stripping agent is gone from the system?

[–] [email protected] 29 points 2 weeks ago (18 children)

What they've found, from the article, and abstract (alas I didn't see any links to full text paper, which may come available after the ACS Spring 2025 meeting), is that they indeed do get an effective broad based immune response against coronaviruses. The 'sugar stripping agent' process is used in the production of the immunogen (basically a glycan stripped version of the more highly conserved spike protein that occurs in all/ many/ a lot of coronaviruses, i.e. which cause common cold, MERS, and COVID19), such that a broad based immune response is evoked when applying it, some time after the sugars (glycans) have already been stripped. Remember the spike is the consistent (conserved) part, and the glycans are the camouflage bits. Researchers have been trying to come up with something based on the spike protein for some time, and this is the sort of breakthrough that they've been working towards. Doubtless more info will be available after the research has been officially presented, March 23-27. (https://www.acs.org/meetings/acs-meetings/spring.html) So it's literally happening now. And may show up on Chi-Huey Wong's google scholar page (https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=GQLirSoAAAAJ) or at Scripps/Sinica (https://www.genomics.sinica.edu.tw/chihueywong/)

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 weeks ago (3 children)

Finally, someone speaking actual biology instead of paranoid rants. Impressive grasp of glycosylation and conserved epitope exposure - you've clearly done your reading beyond headlines. The sugar-stripping approach is ingenious precisely because it targets what viruses try to hide. Current research trajectory looks promising but I'll wait for peer-reviewed publications after that ACS meeting before joining the hype train.

🐱🐱🐱🐱🐱

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago* (last edited 2 weeks ago) (1 children)

i was thinking the same about the abstract, the glycans were shielding the conserved parts epitopes that arnt prone to mutations, as opposed to the exposed parts of the proteins which the virus mutates much more rapidly. you can say the conserved parts can mutate, but it might compromise the structure of the protein, making the virus defective(it probably does happen, but they dont survive)

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

Mutations will always happen, it's what viruses do.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago

I've learned a lot more about virology, vaccines, and immunology in the past 5 years than I ever thought I would need/ want to know, mostly from listening to the brilliant folks over at Microbe.TV (https://www.microbe.tv/), with This Week in Virology, and the other science based podcasts they produce.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Does the sugar stripping affect any other bodily functions? Stripping is temporary but it still may have permanent effects for some existing conditions.

Does a coronavirus need to be introduced at the same time sugars are stripped or is it assumed that there are already many in the body?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 2 weeks ago (1 children)

Ok, you're missing a bit here. The "sugar stripping" happens in the lab, during the production of the immunogen, which would then later applied as a vaccine. From there the vaccine induces a response from the immune system, creating antibodies which are specific to the highly conserved part of the stalk structures on corona viruses. As a result one's immune system is prepared for when a corona virus shows up at some point after the vaccination.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 2 weeks ago

Ah. Yes. I was thinking the sugar stripping happened in the body. So this more a vaccine enhancement tool.

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