Neutralising antibodies and protection from progression to severe COVID-19: A meta-analysis
by Karen M. Elias, Ainslie Mitchell, Eva Stadler, Timothy E. Schlub, Shanchita R. Khan, Claire Xue, Stephen J. Kent, Deborah Cromer, Miles P. Davenport, David S. Khoury Background Vaccine-induced neutralising antibodies are a well-established correlate of protection against acquisition of COVID-19. Vaccine protection from severe COVID-19 remains high, although the role of neutralising antibodies…
A recent study explores the relationship between vaccine-induced neutralising antibodies and protection against severe COVID-19. The research, led by multiple authors, aims to improve understanding of how vaccines prevent severe outcomes in order to guide future vaccine development.
The study conducted a systematic search of literature, compiling data from 25 clinical studies on vaccine protection against progression to severe COVID-19 in individuals with SARS-CoV-2 infection. The team then matched this clinical data with information from 301 studies on post-vaccination neutralisation titres against various SARS-CoV-2 variants, sourced from the Stanford University Coronavirus antiviral and resistance database.
Utilising meta-regression, the researchers analyzed the data, discovering that neutralising antibody titres are linked to vaccine protection against progression to severe COVID-19. Specifically, each 10-fold increase in the geometric mean titre (GMT) was associated with a 0.57 relative risk reduction in progression to severe COVID-19, with a 95% confidence interval of 0.51 to 0.64, and a p-value less than 0.001, indicating a statistically significant correlation.
The findings suggest that vaccine-induced neutralising antibodies play a role in protecting against severe COVID-19, and can account for at least a partial mechanistic role in this protection. However, the researchers also note a remaining gap between the high levels of protection provided by vaccination and that provided by therapeutic administration of antibodies. This implies that other immune responses might also contribute to the overall protection against severe outcomes.
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