Sars-Cov-2 Spike Protein Convergent Evolution: Impact of Virus Variants on Efficacy of Covid-19 Therapeutics and Vaccines

ISBN-13: 9783030873233 / Angielski / Miękka / 2021 / 152 str.

Daniele Focosi

Opis

This book reviews the current knowledge of the globally circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants, highlights their distinct genetic characteristics and associated conformational changes in the viral spike protein, and profoundly discusses the mechanisms of convergent evolution that led to the rise of these mutated strains at different geographic regions during the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the book explores how these variants do and may impact the efficacy of established neutralizing antibody-based (nAb) vaccines and therapeutics by analysing latest in vivo and in vitro clinical data. Finally, the author discusses ways on how nAb Covid-19 treatment derived immune escape of SARS-CoV-2 could be minimized in the future.

Spis treści

Why the Spike protein is relevant for COVID19 therapeutics        

Whole genome mutation rates 

Phylogenetic systems

Mechanism of immune escape: single nucleotide mutations, insertion/deletions, and recombination. Spike protein mutations detected in currently circulating strains.          

SARS-CoV-2 variants      

B.1.1.298             

B.1.1.7 (alpha)  

B.1.351 (beta)  

B.1.1.28- and B.1.1.33-derived Brazilian variants (including gamma and zeta)       

B.1.525 (eta)     

B.1.526 (iota)    

B.1.427/B.1.429 (epsilon)            

B.1.617-derived variants (including kappa and delta)       

B.1.617.1             

Delta VOC          

C.37 (lambda)   

P.3 (theta)         

Other variants under monitoring (VUM)

Which strain will finally become dominant?        

SARS-CoV-2 variants characterization     

Predicting the functional consequences of mutations     

Efficacy of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants        

Selective pressures exerted by antibody-based therapeutics       

O autorze

Dr. Daniele Focosi was born in Lucca (Italy) in 1980. He graduated in medicine with full grades in 2005 at the University of Pisa and completed specialization in hematology in 2009. Furthermore, he achieved a Ph.D. degree in clinical and fundamental virology in 2014 and a master’s degree in clinical trials in oncology-hematology in 2014.

Dr. Focosi has authored over 150 peer-reviewed manuscripts indexed on PubMed, for a total h-index of 30. He has been a fellow of the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (ICGEB) in Trieste and of the Collegio Ghislieri in Pavia, Italy. He is currently employed full time at the Pisa University Hospital.

He has given numerous oral and poster presentations at international medical congresses and is Member of the editorial board of 17 peer-reviewed journals.

He has received awards from the European Federation of Immunogenetics, the European Society for Organ Transplantation, the Italian Society for Hematology, the Italian Interregional Transplant Association, the Italian Bone Marrow Donor Association, the Italian Society for Experimental Hematology, and the Italian Society against Leukemia/Lymphoma/Myeloma.