Scott Hensley, a professor of Microbiology at Penn Medicine, has suggested that discoveries regarding initial COVID-19 vaccines could influence future vaccine designs. According to his study, responses to vaccinations were shaped by previous exposures.
"Detailing how SARS-CoV-2 immune history influences the antibody response to new variants, through studies such as this one, will ultimately help us design more effective vaccines," said Scott Hensely, according to Penn Medicine. "Most people alive today have been immunologically imprinted by ancestral SARS-CoV-2, but that will inevitably change as time goes on. We need to continue studying how different prior exposures impact immunity to new variants that come down the road, and how this immunity affects viral evolution."
As reported by Penn Medicine News, the research was published in Immunity and primarily focused on examining the antibody response of individuals affected by the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. The study's key finding was how the newly discovered variants targeted areas not originally intended for change. Additionally, it was found that those with a higher number of B cells against SARS-CoV-2 were more likely to mount effective immune responses. The effects on responses to SARS-CoV-2 were tested to examine how these variants had imprinted themselves.
The Perelman School of Medicine states that Hensley has numerous areas of interest including SARS-CoV-2, antibodies, influenza virus, and antigenic drift. He earned his B.A in Biology from the University of Delaware in 2000 and his PhD in Cellular and Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania in 2006. His research is aimed at addressing the issue of seasonal influenza viruses and his lab is currently working on this issue through three major experiments.
Penn Medicine asserts its long-standing commitment to paving the way for modern medicine. Having established the first U.S hospital and medical school, they now boast a team of over 40,000 members dedicated to advancing the future of medicine. Some of their future goals include transforming patient care, supporting their communities, and pushing forward with medical innovation.
