Omicron: Because it hits more

Suresina – A technology developed in Italy allows us to understand why the Omicron variant is able to transmit itself more easily than other variants. The same research published in Molecular Journalallows us to predict the effects of potential novel variants of the virus on already developed immune defenses and indicates that there are still many human antibodies capable of recognizing the Omicron variant.

The study is the result of a collaboration between the Institute of Food Sciences of the National Research Council (Isa-Cnr) in Avellino and the Department of Chemistry and Biology of Zampelli, University of Salerno, and was coordinated by the participating researchers, as well as by Angelo Facciano (Kunar Issa), from Anna MarabutiProfessor at the University of Salerno, born and raised in Suriname.

Together, with exceptional work in its development, Use bioinformatics technology to simulate how the virus’s molecular clutch, the spike protein, binds to the Ace2 receptor found in human cells..

In fact, the bioinformatics procedure that has been developed can now be used to simulate the amino acid substitutions present in the new variants.

More than 150 molecular models of the linkage between the SarsCoV2 spike protein and human cells were used in the research. In this way, “it was demonstrated that many antibodies already in our organism can also recognize the spike protein of the Omicron variant, although there are some differences in the molecular interactions that can be formed – as Facchiano notes -.” By studying the mechanism of interaction with the receptor Ace2 Also, we have highlighted some differences with respect to the Spike protein of the previous variants, providing a possible explanation for the ease of Omicron translocation».

According to the research authors, the results obtained could also have important implications in light of the emergence of new variants. In fact, the bioinformatics procedure developed to simulate the amino acid substitutions present in new variants and in a short time can now be used to give predictions of effects in terms of ability to counteract a potential new variant of the virus.