If you have a stronger reaction to the COVID-19 vaccines, does that mean you’ll be rewarded with extra immunity?
Not necessarily, said Dr. Jim Kublin, principal staff scientist with the Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, who also works with the COVID-19 Prevention Network.
That correlation may be true with some vaccines, but it does not appear to be the case with the mRNA vaccines, at least not in preliminary studies. Scientists have seen people who experience very little reaction to the vaccine but still exhibit immunity to the virus.
“If you didn’t have a glaring reaction, that doesn’t mean that your vaccine didn’t take,” he said.
Kublin answered these and other COVID-19 vaccine questions in a Fred Hutch “Science Says” virtual roundtable this week, addressing everything from the recent AstraZeneca data questions to why the virus is mutating. He joined several Hutch colleagues who also shared highlights from their latest research on the body and disease.
What’s with the new variants?
With all the news of variants circulating, Kublin explained why these mutations have emerged in more recent months compared to the earlier days of the pandemic.
One reason is simple: there is much more virus now.
“The probability of these mutations is that much greater with that much more virus circulating,” he said.
The virus has also infected more people who are immunosuppressed or who have faced a prolonged COVID-19 infection. During a longer battle with the immune system, the virus may adapt and mutate to improve its fitness.
The variants underscore the importance of getting the vaccine, which shortens the time period in which the virus can replicate and evolve, he said.
Vaccines, transmission and long COVID
Kublin offered his take on the latest vaccine news, such as inconsistencies in AstraZeneca’s vaccine study data. Once the company pursues emergency use access with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, which is likely in the coming weeks, they will need to present the full data.
“That’s very encouraging news because it will reveal a much more full deck of the data when they do that,” he said.
Kublin also addressed other COVID-19 news, such as the case of the UConn women’s basketball coach who tested positive after receiving both vaccine doses.
That example illustrates just how well the vaccines work in reducing severity of disease, he said.
“The efficacy of those three vaccines that are out there and available for people against severe disease is extraordinary — it’s fantastic,” he said. “That’s just the best news ever.”
Some people could experience a SARS-CoV-2 infection in their nasal cavity. It might not be until the virus creeps into other areas of the body that the vaccinated immune system is triggered to suppress the disease.
That does pose a lingering question about asymptomatic transmission among vaccinated individuals. An upcoming study looking at more than 12,000 college students is hoping to address that question. “Stay tuned for a very definitive answer,” he said.
And what’s happening with the long-haul COVID patients, who anecdotally see improvements after vaccination?
While there are some “remarkable” stories, there has not been anything definitive proven in a clinical trial yet, he said.
As for which vaccine Kublin would recommend to a relative: “the first one you can get,” among the three authorized for emergency use in the U.S. He personally received the Pfizer vaccine but would have gladly taken any of those, he said.
Among the other Hutch work highlighted at the virtual event this week:
- Dr. Gavin Ha, a computational biologist, described his work on liquid biopsies, or a test that looks for cancer cells or pieces of DNA from tumor cells found in blood samples rather than tissue biopsies to help detect cancer. These tests could diagnose, screen and monitor patients for disease recurrence. There is also hope the new techniques could predict how a patient would respond to therapies. “We want to make this broadly accessible and widespread,” he said.
- Dr. Melody Campbell, an assistant professor in the Basic Sciences Division, shared what’s happening in her new facility, where she’s using a groundbreaking technique to develop 3D models of proteins. Cryogenic electron microscopy, or cryo-EM, is a set of techniques for looking at things too small to see in high detail with a conventional light microscope, such as viruses. The process involves freezing samples at extremely cold temperatures and trapping the proteins in a protective film of non-crystalline ice. Knowing the proteins’ shape and appearance can help scientists understand how they work and how they can be fixed when something goes wrong.
- Dr. Robert Bradley, a computational biologist and biophysicist, explained the increasingly important role of RNA: “These days, everyone is thinking of RNA all the time.” RNA vaccines are here to stay, and they’re going to change a lot of things beyond just COVID, he said.
