Since its emergence in late 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has killed nearly 7 million people. But at the same time, many infections, in particular in children and young adults, are asymptomatic with rapid viral clearance from the body. It remains unclear why many individuals are able to successfully clear infection without major complications while others develop severe disease, even without known risk factors for severe COVID-19 outcomes.

Now, a new study involving nearly 30,000 individuals has found that variation in the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) loci may underlie processes mediating asymptomatic infection. The findings were reported in the July 19, 2023, online edition of Nature.

The protection against SARS-CoV-2 provided by spike-based vaccines, although effective, tends to decrease as the virus evolves and new variants of concern appear. Researchers from Osivax SAS reported the first results on cross-protection with OVX-033, a new human SARS-CoV-2 vaccine generated via the oligoDOM platform.

The search for novel therapies that complement vaccine-induced immune protection against SARS-CoV-2 continues. In previous work, researchers at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and collaborators developed a cell-permeable and highly selective peptide called NACE2i, targeting nuclear angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2). In particular, NACE2i spans and targets the ACE2 nuclear localization signal motif, successfully inhibiting nuclear translocation of ACE2 and viral replication in human cell lines infected with SARS-CoV-2.

SARS-CoV-2 and influenza (flu) viruses share similar clinical manifestations, common transmission mechanisms and target tissues, often overlapping during seasonal outbreaks. In addition, co-infection of these viruses worsens disease severity, emphasizing the pressing need for a vaccine that effectively tackles both.