B-Cell Responses to Sars-Cov-2 mRNA Vaccines

Abstract

Most vaccines against viral pathogens protect through the acquisition of immunological memory from long-lived plasma cells that produce antibodies and memory B cells that can rapidly respond upon an encounter with the pathogen or its variants. The COVID-19 pandemic and rapid deployment of effective vaccines have provided an unprecedented opportunity to study the immune response to a new yet rapidly evolving pathogen. Here we review the scientific literature and our efforts to understand antibody and B-cell responses to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, the effect of SARS-CoV-2 infection on both primary and secondary immune responses, and how repeated exposures may impact outcomes.

Keywords

• SARS-CoV-2;
• vaccination;
• protective immunity;
• B cells;
• plasmablasts;
• memory response;