The Omicron variant evolved to escape the immune response better than other variants and related coronaviruses in humans, bats and pangolins, an analysis from an international team of scientists determined, suggesting that the variant’s evolution was driven by the need to escape humans’ neutralising antibodies that had been stimulated through vaccination or past infection.
“We present data indicating that SARS-CoV-2 variants have emerged under immune selection pressure and are evolving differently from related sarbecoviruses circulating in animals with less or no immune selection,” said Professor Wang Linfa from Duke-NUS’ Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme in a statement about the study. The study was a collaboration with the National Centre for Infectious Diseases (NCID), as well as institutions around the globe.
The results, which were published in Nature Microbiology today, showed that SARS-CoV-2 variants generated in humans during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially the Omicron variant, were able to escape neutralising antibodies from past infections or vaccination more efficiently than other closely related coronaviruses circulating animals, known collectively as sarbecoviruses.
“Our findings will guide us in the future response to the pandemic, including the development of better and more broadly protective vaccines,” added Wang, who is also Executive Director of Singapore’s Programme for Research in Epidemic Preparedness and Response or PREPARE.