Antibodies from the initial vaccination mop up booster from the body, limiting their efficacy

The original vaccinations for COVID-19 induce potent antibodies that protect against SARS-CoV-2. But a new Northwestern Medicine study shows the antibodies generated by those prior vaccinations or infections can actually “hurt” the booster shots. That’s because these antibodies rapidly “mop up” the booster from the body, before it has a chance to stimulate the cells from the immune system. “Those same antibodies that protect you against the virus also clear the vaccine very fast,” said lead study author Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster. “They think the vaccine is the virus.” The study in humans and mice was published in Cell Reports. “It is important to clarify that having antibodies and getting boosted is a good thing, so anyone who is due their booster shot should do so. We don’t want people to think otherwise,” said Penaloza-MacMaster, assistant professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The study just pinpoints potential strategies by which next-generation...