Since mRNA vaccines work by giving instructions to our cells to make the spike protein, this finding gives insight into how long the newly made protein will be present.ĭutch's team also examined the role of key host factors in cell-to-cell fusion.

The study found that the majority of the spike protein degrades within 24 hours, which provides more understanding about the process of infection and vaccination. They also observed spike protein synthesis and processing in bat cells to understand if any differences were observed. Her team examined the effect of mutations in clinical isolates of the virus on protein stability and function. 'This study gives scientists a more comprehensive understanding of how the protein works, which is significant to the continued development of vaccines and therapeutics.'ĭutch's study provides insight into how stable the spike protein is, how it promotes cell-to- cell fusion and how it is modified. 'The spike protein represents one of the most important therapeutic targets for COVID-19,' said study lead Becky Dutch, vice dean for research in the College of Medicine and chair of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biochemistry. Because of this function, it is the focus of most COVID-19 vaccines including the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna mRNA vaccines. The spike protein is found on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and is responsible for its entry into host cells.

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