ANTIBODY and VACCINE UPDATE

I was inspired to write this after i received a call from a very kind patient of mine who was asking about getting Covid testing since he was pretty sure he had it in January and wanted to donate blood since it might help others recover. This is a cancer survivor and his generosity is a welcome change from seeing all the selfish behaviour out there with scenes of parties and events with no distancing or PPE. 

It’s not only about YOU, it’s mostly about EVERYONE ELSE. 

Don’t be a selfish ahole. 

Wear a mask and keep your distance!

Now, back to the antibodies and vaccine update. 

There is good and bad news.

The Good. More than 150 companies are working on a coronavirus vaccine but it is challenging. We know that we were never able to develop one for any other coronavirus epidemic but we can’t give up hope and need to keep working. There are some very positive trials, including one here in the US where a vaccine capable of bolstering our immune system against MULTIPLE bugs simultaneously is being developed. In addition this vaccine could be easily adapted to changes in the virus as they occur. This is important because there is a very real possibility that this may become an annual thing, like influenza.

The Bad. Some studies are coming out of places like China, Italy and Germany indicating that antibodies from Covid-recovered patients have little impact on killing the virus in the lab. You may have read about “neutralizing” antibodies. Neutralizing antibodies not only bind to a virus, they bind in a way which blocks the virus’s ability to attach to and invade a cell where it hijacks the genetic machinery to replicate itself. Non-neutralizing antibodies, or binding antibodies, bind specifically to the pathogen, but do not interfere with their infectivity. That might be because they do not bind to the right region. The above mentioned vaccine specifically targets the “spike protein” which is how it attaches to the ACE-2 receptor on target cells. By the way, the name “coronavirus” comes from the fact that these viruses have spikes, like a crown, or corona. Non-neutralizing antibodies are  important nonetheless as they flag the particle for our immune cells, signaling that it has been targeted. The particle is then processed and destroyed by those recruited immune cells. Neutralizing antibodies on the other hand can neutralize the biological effects of the antigen without a need for immune cells.

The important takeaways are:

1. We must hold out hope for a vaccine and we need to keep working on it. Since it appears we can’t rely on immunity after infection, a safe, working vaccine is important.
2. We also need to keep working on treatments to help us get over infections. As our knowledge about how this virus behaves improves, new treatment protocols are saving lives, but we only have so many healthcare workers, ICU beds and ventilators. People are dying unnecessarily because of diminishing resources.
3. We MUST continue to be vigilant, accepting that this virus will spread, since it will do it regardless of what we do, but do so in a controlled manner which does not overwhelm the medical system and doesn’t completely destroy the economy. That having been said, some areas have such high levels of cases, temporary lockdown is necessary.
4. We need to get serious about getting healthier since the healthier you are, the better you will weather the storm, not to mention get rid of some medications and chronic diseases. Getting healthier includes losing weight. Being only 20-30 pounds over ideal weight increases risks of Covid-related complications 6x. Almost 75% of Americans are overweight. 42% are obese. 20% of under 20 year-old’s are obese. It’s crazy. Fat is an actual organ. From hormones and inflammatory mediators adipose (fat) cells produce, to the underlying insulin resistance (pre-pre-diabetes, estimated to affect up to 50% of Americans) which it contributes to, excess fat is not a good thing.

Wear a mask if you must go out. Not only for you but for we very one else.

Distance.

Wash your hands and use sanitizer appropriately.

Don’t touch your face.

Have a great day.

Stay safe and be well. 

AC 😎✌️🌱❤🐖🏃🏻🧘🏻‍♂️🌎😷