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<p>[QUOTE="-jeffB, post: 4501015, member: 27832"][USER=93422]@MatrixMP-9[/USER], bit of a technical question that's been bugging me...</p><p><br /></p><p>I understand that here you're talking about an <i>antigen</i> test, which looks for <i>the virus itself </i>circulating in the body -- in other words, an active infection.</p><p><br /></p><p>There are also <i>antibody</i> tests, which look for your <i>immune response</i> to the virus; these tell whether you <i>have been</i> infected by the virus. (Once you've been infected, your immune system continues to make these antibodies for years, or maybe even decades, depending on the pathogen.)</p><p><br /></p><p>My question: is there <i>only one</i> possible antibody target on this virus? Everybody's talking about the "spike protein", the little bumps all over the virus that are the actual can-openers for getting into a host cell. That's what the antigen test looks for, and that's what's targeted by the antibodies that the antibody assay looks for.</p><p><br /></p><p>But <b>is it possible that there could be <i>other</i> antibodies, with <i>other</i> targets, that are effective against COVID-19</b>? I'm guessing the answer is "not likely enough to matter". The spike protein is the big deal, and maybe the adaptive immune system never looks any further than that for a target.</p><p><br /></p><p>I also get the impression that small mutations could change that protein enough to evade the antibodies, while still letting it do its job. I see references to an "Achilles' Heel" on the protein, a section that <i>can't</i> change without breaking the machine, and therefore can be a good target for tests and therapies. The adaptive immune system isn't smart enough to zero in on that piece, though.</p><p><br /></p><p>Not sure any of this matters for the tasks at hand -- getting reliable tests manufactured, distributed, administered, and digested -- but I'm also not sure it <i>doesn't</i> matter...?[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>
[QUOTE="-jeffB, post: 4501015, member: 27832"][USER=93422]@MatrixMP-9[/USER], bit of a technical question that's been bugging me... I understand that here you're talking about an [I]antigen[/I] test, which looks for [I]the virus itself [/I]circulating in the body -- in other words, an active infection. There are also [I]antibody[/I] tests, which look for your [I]immune response[/I] to the virus; these tell whether you [I]have been[/I] infected by the virus. (Once you've been infected, your immune system continues to make these antibodies for years, or maybe even decades, depending on the pathogen.) My question: is there [I]only one[/I] possible antibody target on this virus? Everybody's talking about the "spike protein", the little bumps all over the virus that are the actual can-openers for getting into a host cell. That's what the antigen test looks for, and that's what's targeted by the antibodies that the antibody assay looks for. But [B]is it possible that there could be [I]other[/I] antibodies, with [I]other[/I] targets, that are effective against COVID-19[/B]? I'm guessing the answer is "not likely enough to matter". The spike protein is the big deal, and maybe the adaptive immune system never looks any further than that for a target. I also get the impression that small mutations could change that protein enough to evade the antibodies, while still letting it do its job. I see references to an "Achilles' Heel" on the protein, a section that [I]can't[/I] change without breaking the machine, and therefore can be a good target for tests and therapies. The adaptive immune system isn't smart enough to zero in on that piece, though. Not sure any of this matters for the tasks at hand -- getting reliable tests manufactured, distributed, administered, and digested -- but I'm also not sure it [I]doesn't[/I] matter...?[/QUOTE]
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