The development and emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern that could potentially evade a vaccine-induced immune response is an ongoing concern, with the alpha (B.1.1.7), beta (B.1.351), gamma (B.1.248), and delta (B.1.614.2) lineages having largely independently evolved mutations to the spike protein and receptor binding domain that enhance transmissibility and in some cases provide mild resistance to neutralizing antibodies.
In a research paper recently uploaded to the preprint server bioRxiv* by Tada et al. (July 19th, 2021) the neutralizing capacity of antibodies generated by either messenger RNA (mRNA) or adenoviral vector-based vaccines against Beta, Delta, Delta plus, and Lambda variants are investigated, among others, highlighting the importance of continued SARS-CoV-2 genomic surveillance.
