A new alternative to a COVID vaccine?

A doctor prepares syringes that contain the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine against Covid-19 at a mobile vaccination center in the Markkleeberg suburb town hall on May 10, 2021 in Leipzig, Germany. Germany has succeeded in accelerating its nationwide vaccinations in recent weeks. Approximately one third of the population has received a first dose. (Jens Schlueter/Getty Images)

One of the challenges of fighting COVID-19 is that vaccines and booster shots, while effective in protecting most people against severe infections, are often ineffective in those with weakened immune systems. In August, however, researchers at Tel Aviv University in Israel claimed to have identified a pair of antibodies that neutralize every known strain of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. In the process, they may have taken a step toward altogether obviating the need for booster shots to fight new strains as they evolve.

According to an August article published in the journal Communications Biology, a pair of antibodies — TAU-1109 and TAU-2310 — could play a crucial role in halting the infection process. If you picture the SARS-CoV-2 virus as a sphere surrounded by spikes, then the antibodies are Y-shaped molecules which fight that sphere and spikes at targeted points. TAU-1109 and TAU-2310 seem to choose an area of the viral spike sphere that is very different from where most of the antibodies choose to go.