Latest: China says its vaccines may have weaker antibody response against new strains
Inactivated vaccines may be more effective against fighting new mutated strains of the coronavirus, according to a top immunologist.
Such vaccines, including the UAE-approved Sinopharm, use a “dead” version of the whole virus, offering protection against multiple areas.
That means they may hold up better against variants.
Luke O’Neill, professor of biochemistry in the School of Biochemistry and Immunology at Trinity College Dublin, said because inactivated vaccines are based on the whole virus, the immune system will have “lots of weapons against lots of parts of the vaccine”.
Several vaccines have now been approved against Covid-19.
Most of them, including Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V, target the spike protein on the surface of the coronavirus, which the virus uses to enter cells.
Covid-19 variants which have emerged in recent months in the UK, South Africa and Brazil include a number of mutations in the spike, which experts said may render the vaccines less effective.
"The other vaccines are just against the spike protein so if that mutates and escapes the immune system, the vaccines may not work as well," Prof O'Neill told The National
“The whole virus vaccines are very likely to work against any variant.”
He said it was not yet clear how much the spike vaccines will be affected by variants.
“And there are signs that the Pfizer vaccine might still generate antibodies against the UK variant, at least,” he said.
“Also there might still be a good T cell response with the Pfizer and other vaccines.”
Sinopharm and other inactivated vaccines are also expected to generate a T-cell response, he said.
At the weekend, White House health advisor Dr Anthony Fauci warned the Pfizer and other spike protein vaccines may not be as effective in guarding against new variants.
That is a concern as two that have emerged in the UK and South Africa are believed to be more transmissible and could even have higher mortality rates.
Early research, which has yet to be peer reviewed, backed Dr Fauci’s claim.
The study, published on bioRxiv, a website on which authors can share early findings, said the variant identified in South Africa, known as 501Y.V2, can evade antibodies provided by treatments. It may reduce the efficacy of some of the current vaccines, it said.
“Furthermore, 501Y.V2 shows substantial or complete escape from neutralising antibodies in Covid-19 convalescent plasma,” researchers with South Africa’s National Institute for Communicable Diseases wrote.
Their findings highlight the prospect of reinfection “and may foreshadow reduced efficacy of current spike-based vaccines”, they wrote.
The Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, Oxford-AstraZeneca and Russia’s Sputnik V vaccines issue instructions to the body to make its own version of the spike, which triggers antibodies against the virus.
But the spike is just one protein that forms the overall structure of the virus. There are in fact four: the spike, envelope (E), membrane (M) and nucleocapsid (N).
Inactivated vaccines likely target all four areas, researchers said.
Researchers have discovered that people who have been infected with SARS-Cov-2 make more antibodies against the N protein than the spike.
Their role in protecting people from infection is not fully understood, but they are likely to play a role and should be targeted by later generations of vaccines, they said.
"Future vaccines will probably focus on more than just the spike protein of Sars-CoV-2, and the N protein is a promising target to add to the current strategies being considered," Dr Sarah Caddy, an immunologist at the University of Cambridge, wrote in The Conversation.
Speaking on Irish radio last week, Prof O’Neill said he was not overly concerned by the new variants, but they require close monitoring.
“The worry would be if there are extra variants, another strain arises,” he told Radio One.
Many of the vaccines in development target the virus spike, but not all.
There are three inactivated vaccines in China in phase 3 trials, and another in India.
Several are in phase 1 and 2 phase trials, including another “worth watching”, said Prof O’Neill, by Valneva, a European manufacturer, which will produce the inactivated vaccine in Scotland.
It is currently undergoing a trial in the UK, which has ordered 60 million doses.
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
The biog
Hobby: Playing piano and drawing patterns
Best book: Awaken the Giant Within by Tony Robbins
Food of choice: Sushi
Favourite colour: Orange
Essentials
The flights
Etihad (etihad.ae) and flydubai (flydubai.com) fly direct to Baku three times a week from Dh1,250 return, including taxes.
The stay
A seven-night “Fundamental Detox” programme at the Chenot Palace (chenotpalace.com/en) costs from €3,000 (Dh13,197) per person, including taxes, accommodation, 3 medical consultations, 2 nutritional consultations, a detox diet, a body composition analysis, a bio-energetic check-up, four Chenot bio-energetic treatments, six Chenot energetic massages, six hydro-aromatherapy treatments, six phyto-mud treatments, six hydro-jet treatments and access to the gym, indoor pool, sauna and steam room. Additional tests and treatments cost extra.
