Mary Wilson
Well-known member
March 9, 2022
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2201933
TO THE EDITOR:
The omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has spread rapidly around the world and has already become the predominant variant circulating in many countries. As of February 2022, omicron variants have been divided into four distinct sublineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, and BA.3.[SUP]1[/SUP] Most circulating omicron variants belong to sublineage BA.1; however, in Denmark, India, and the Philippines, the sublineage BA.2 is now becoming dominant.[SUP]2[/SUP]
As compared with the Wuhan/Hu-1/2019 reference strain, the sublineage BA.2 of the omicron variant has 16 amino acid substitutions in the receptor-binding domain of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2,[SUP]2[/SUP] which is the primary target for monoclonal antibody–based therapy. The BA.2 and BA.1 variants share 12 of these 16 substitutions; however, BA.2 has four substitutions in the receptor-binding domain (i.e., S371F, T376A, D405N, and R408S) that differ from those in BA.1. These findings suggest that there may be differences in the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies against these different omicron sublineages.
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https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201933?cookieSet=1#.YjYS619D_NM.twitter
DOI: 10.1056/NEJMc2201933
TO THE EDITOR:
The omicron (B.1.1.529) variant of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), which is responsible for coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19), has spread rapidly around the world and has already become the predominant variant circulating in many countries. As of February 2022, omicron variants have been divided into four distinct sublineages: BA.1, BA.1.1, BA.2, and BA.3.[SUP]1[/SUP] Most circulating omicron variants belong to sublineage BA.1; however, in Denmark, India, and the Philippines, the sublineage BA.2 is now becoming dominant.[SUP]2[/SUP]
As compared with the Wuhan/Hu-1/2019 reference strain, the sublineage BA.2 of the omicron variant has 16 amino acid substitutions in the receptor-binding domain of the spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2,[SUP]2[/SUP] which is the primary target for monoclonal antibody–based therapy. The BA.2 and BA.1 variants share 12 of these 16 substitutions; however, BA.2 has four substitutions in the receptor-binding domain (i.e., S371F, T376A, D405N, and R408S) that differ from those in BA.1. These findings suggest that there may be differences in the effectiveness of monoclonal antibodies against these different omicron sublineages.
...
https://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMc2201933?cookieSet=1#.YjYS619D_NM.twitter