Correlates of protection are measurable signs of immunity to a particular pathogen, for example the coronavirus. Antibodies, especially neutralizing antibodies often, but not always are a suitable measure. However, until we know the exact number, vaccine makers tend to be ‘shooting in the dark’. Now, The Atlantic suggests we are getting closer to certainty for the correlates for COVID-19.
The Biological Benchmarks Showing a Vaccine is Working
We are not scientists and our elevator seldom reaches as high as this floor. However, we’ll do our best to explain this in words we understand. Knowing the correlates of protection for the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19 would tell us precisely how well a shot is working. And whether a significant number of people need booster jabs. This information could also help fast track development of new vaccines.
These correlates ‘boil down the complexities of an immune response to a single value’ as The Atlantic puts it. One that confidently affirms a person won’t get infected or seriously sick. In other words, as various experts told reporter Katherine Wu. ‘It’s kind of a magic number,’ ‘It’s the big holy grail,’ and ‘It’s what we dream about’.
Scientists Closer to Defining Correlates of Protection for COVID-19
The Atlantic announced scientists were ‘on the cusp’ of defining some correlates of protection against COVID-19 on July 21, 2021. This could eliminate the need for months and months of trials, and fast track new solutions for the pandemic.
Imagine, just imagine if they only had to inject a few hundred people, and test their blood. We are already doing this with annual influenza vaccine updates, but that, as we know is not the end of the chase.
However, we have already vaccinated sufficient people to begin to deduce the emerging variables we need. ‘We have some strong leads,’ Holly Janes, a biostatistician at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center told Katherine Wu. ‘But I would not say we have a correlate yet.’ It’s never easy to be patient when so much hangs on a number.
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Preview Image: Overview of a Pipeline
