Omicron specific booster no better than standard Moderna booster when tested on macaque monkeys
“Omicron boost may not provide greater immunity or protection compared to a boost with the current mRNA-1273 vaccine”
A study in monkeys showed an omicron-specific booster was not significantly different from Moderna’s conventional booster.
“Here, nonhuman primates that received mRNA-1273 at weeks 0 and 4 were boosted at week 41 with mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron. Neutralizing antibody titers against D614G were 4760 and 270 reciprocal ID 50 at week 6 (peak) and week 41 (pre-boost), respectively, and 320 and 110 for Omicron. Two weeks after boost, titers against D614G and Omicron increased to 5360 and 2980, respectively, for mRNA-1273 and 2670 and 1930 for mRNA-Omicron. Following either boost, 70-80% of spike-specific B cells were cross-reactive against both WA1 and Omicron.
Significant and equivalent control of virus replication in lower airways was observed following either boost. Therefore, an Omicron boost may not provide greater immunity or protection compared to a boost with the current mRNA-1273 vaccine.”
Biorxiv preprint: mRNA-1273 or mRNA-Omicron boost in vaccinated macaques elicits comparable B cell expansion, neutralizing antibodies and protection against Omicron
📢 The study we all waited for by the brilliant team at the VRC/@NIAIDNews
Should we wait for an Omicron-specific booster?
Short answer: No 🤯Long answer: A thread 🧵👇 pic.twitter.com/hu3bXm5qgl
— Yaniv Erlich (@erlichya) February 4, 2022
Image by Robbie Ross from Pixabay