This is a summary, written by members of the CITF Secretariat, of:

Desgagnés, JS, Désy, O, Thivierge, MP, Marcoux, M, Béland, S, De Serres, SA. SARS-Cov-2 Antibody Levels That Confer Immune Protection Based on Neutralization of the Omicron Variant. Transplantation, March 23, 2023. DOI: 10.1097/TP.0000000000004596.

The results and/or conclusions contained in the research do not necessarily reflect the views of all CITF members.

A CITF-funded study published in Transplantation aims to identify correlates of protection that would be necessary to safeguard against various SARS-CoV-2 variants. Researchers found that a binding antibody concentration of less than 752 binding antibody units (BAU/mL) resulted in poor immune protection against Omicron, whereas levels over 1357 BAU/ml resulted in 100% neutralization against Omicron. This study was led by Dr. Sacha De Serres (Laval University).

Researchers studied the immune responses in kidney transplant recipients, as they provided a good example of an immunocompromised population. People who are immunocompromised have a more varied response to COVID-19 vaccines, making them a group that is suitable to study to identify a common immune protection threshold. Sera from 74 adult kidney transplant recipients were examined after two or three doses of the vaccine, providing a wide range of binding antibody values (8–3284 BAU/mL).

Key findings:

  • Neutralization was associated with a younger age, a higher white blood cell count (which helps fight infection), and an absence of mycophenolate Mycophenolate belongs to a group of medicines called immunosuppressants. in the treatment regimen.

Overall, the authors state that findings on each individual’s immune response could guide the timing of booster dose administration for them.