WALES ONLINE – Researchers have shed new light on why some people do not get Covid-19.
In a world-first, 36 healthy people who had never had coronavirus were deliberately given the virus that causes the disease.
The study found their immune systems responded in a novel way, helping to explain how some people avoid getting Covid.
The findings may pave the way for treatments and vaccines mimicking these natural defences, not just for Covid, but potentially other diseases too.
It is the first time scientists have been able to see how the body responds to a new disease from the very point of exposure.
According to the experts, their data can serve as a Rosetta stone for cells that cover various surfaces of the body, and immune cells, and reveals early responses associated with protection against infection.
Dr Marko Nikolic, senior author of the study at UCL and honorary consultant in respiratory medicine, said:
“These findings shed new light on the crucial early events that either allow the virus to take hold or rapidly clear it before symptoms develop. We now have a much greater understanding of the full range of immune responses, which could provide a basis for developing potential treatments and vaccines that mimic these natural protective responses.”
It is the first time scientists have been able to see how the body responds to a new disease from the very point of exposure.
According to the experts, their data can serve as a Rosetta stone for cells that cover various surfaces of the body, and immune cells, and reveals early responses associated with protection against infection …
