Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have found a possible way to improve the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines—and any vaccine.
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have found a possible way to improve the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines—and any vaccine.
Their new research, published in Science Immunology, shows that a “combination” adjuvant called a saponin/TLR agonist may boost the protective power of vaccines.
“This is super exciting,” says LJI Professor Shane Crotty, Ph.D., a member of the LJI Center for Infectious Disease and Vaccine Research. “We’re really hoping this adjuvant can help out.”
Vaccines work by showing the human immune system just a small piece of a pathogen. The immune system sees this “antigen” and begins making the immune cells and antibodies needed to fight the real virus.
Antigens rarely work alone. Scientists use particles called adjuvants in most vaccine designs. Adjuvants are like red flags that lead the immune system to react more strongly to the antigen and develop the well-honed T cells and B cells that protect the body for years.
Read more at: La Jolla Institute for Immunology
Scientists at La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), have found a possible way to improve the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines—and any vaccine (Photo Credit: NCI)
