This was revealed by Italian research, led by the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the Cnr, which studied the genetic basis of inter-individual differences in the antibody response to anti-Covid vaccination. The analysis was published in the journal Communications Medicine
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“As with most drugs, each individual can respond more or less effectively to vaccines against Covid-19 and this is due, at least in part, to the individual genetic constitution”. Thus Francesca Colombo, researcher at the Cnr-Itb, summarized what emerged from a new Italian study which investigated the genetic basis of inter-individual differences in the antibody response to anti-Covid vaccination with the Bnt162b2 vaccine (Pfizer-Biontech). The results of the research, coordinated by the Institute of Biomedical Technologies of the National Research Council of Segrate (Cnr-Itb) and conducted by a group of researchers from various Italian research bodies, were published in the pages of the journal Communications Medicine.
The study in detail
To carry out the study, the research team, led by Francesca Colombo, evaluated the correlation between millions of germline genetic variants and anti-Sars-CoV-2 antibody levels on a sample of 1,351 healthcare workers 30 days after vaccination vaccinated against Covid-19 in the first months of 2021. To do so, a blood sample was taken from the participants for DNA extraction and a serum sample for the measurement of anti-Sars-CoV-2 antibodies one month after administration of the second dose of the Pfizer-Biontech vaccine.
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The results
It thus emerged that some subjects with certain genetic variants in the genes of the major histocompatibility complex, a particular group of genes involved in the immune defense mechanism, produced different quantities of antibodies directed against the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus antigen.
“With the statistical analyzes carried out we discovered that a particular region of the genome, on chromosome 6, was significantly associated with antibody levels,” reported Martina Esposito, first author of the study. “In this specific genomic region there are genes that code for molecules present on the cell surface, involved in immune response mechanisms. These genes are very variable and different combinations exist.” In particular, the study highlighted that some combinations were associated with higher levels of antibodies, while others with lower levels, thus explaining from a genetic point of view the differences in response to vaccination observed between different individuals.
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Possible applications
According to the researchers, the results of the new study could be useful for differentiating and personalizing the anti-Covid vaccination campaign, providing each individual with the most suitable vaccine, i.e. the one that will allow them to produce as many antibodies as possible. “This approach can also be extended to other vaccines designed against other diseases, with a view to precision vaccination supported by vaccinegenomics,” concluded Massimo Carella, geneticist biologist and deputy scientific director of the Irccs Casa Sollievo della Sofferenza Foundation, which participated in the research.
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