Prognosis
Scientists Find Gene Variant Tied to Better Covid Shot Response
- People with a version of the HLA gene had more antibodies
- Study shows potential promise of genetics and vaccinology
Photographer: Hannah Beier/Bloomberg
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Scientists have identified an immunity gene variant in people with strong responses to Covid-19 vaccines who were less likely to get breakthrough infections, a finding that could improve future shot design.
Individuals carrying the specific gene version generated more antibodies against the coronavirus after receiving vaccines from AstraZeneca Plc or the alliance of Pfizer Inc. and BioNTech SE, according to the study published Thursday in the Nature Medicine journal. The same people were less likely than those with different versions of the same gene to get infected with Covid months later, the research found.