The research was led by the team of Professor Xie Xiaoliang from Changping Laboratory of Beijing Future Genetic Diagnosis Advanced Innovation Center, Peking University, and participated by Tsinghua University, Nankai University, Academy of Social Sciences, Capital Medical College and other institutions. The study found that people who had been vaccinated by a breakthrough infection with the early Omicron strain BA.1 produced antibodies that neutralized the BA.
1 virus as well as the original COVID-19 virus, while subtypes that emerged later, including BA.2.12 .1, BA.4 and BA.5, all have mutations that escape company banner design these antibodies. These subtype variants were found to have greater escape ability to neutralizing antibodies in plasma from patients who received three doses of the vaccine and who were infected with Omicron BA.1 post-vaccination. Neutralizing antibodies inactivate the virus and help provide "broad-spectrum immune" protection.
The team explained that the Omicron subtype variant can break through the humoral immunity (antibody immunity) protection triggered by the Omicron virus itself, and the memory immunity generated by this breakthrough infection is mainly directed against the original strain. Vaccines made with early Omicron variants have limited neutralization effects on emerging subtypes. In this regard, the Peking University research team believes that such vaccines may not be able to provide "broad-spectrum" immune protection against the new Omicron subtype variant.