Immunity

Immunity publishes papers focused on advances in immunology research. Subjects include immune cell development and senescence, signal transduction, gene regulation, innate and adaptive immunity, autoimmunity, infectious disease, allergy and asthma, transplantation, and tumor immunology

 

Different antibodies (green, aqua, pink) attack different parts of the SARS-CoV-2 viral particle (yellow/orange sphere). The virus’s spike proteins (purple) are a key antibody target, with some antibodies attaching to the top (darker purple) and others to the stem (paler zone). Graphic by Yiquan Wang

Machine-learning model can distinguish antibody targets

A new study from the School of Molecular & Cellular Biology shows that it is possible to use the genetic sequences of a person’s antibodies to predict what pathogens those antibodies will target. Reported in the journal Immunity, the new approach successfully differentiates between antibodies...
Illustration of the ultrastructural morphology exhibited by SARS-CoV-2 and the spike proteins that adorn the outer surface of the virus.

Antibodies from original strain COVID-19 infection don't bind to variants, study finds

People infected with the original strain of the virus that causes COVID-19 early in the pandemic produced a consistent antibody response, making two main groups of antibodies to bind to the spike protein on the virus’s outer surface. However, those antibodies don’t bind well to newer variants, a...