HLA-Based Discovery Reveals COVID-19 T-Cell Targets That Can Revolutionize Prophylactic Strategies in Northeast Asia
Nikhil Prasad Fact checked by:Thailand Medical News Team May 25, 2025 6 hours, 54 minutes ago
Medical-News: A groundbreaking study by Chinese immunologists has uncovered dozens of overlooked immune targets in the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which could be the key to more effective and longer-lasting COVID-19 vaccines tailored specifically for people in Northeast Asia. What sets this discovery apart is its focus on T-cell responses tied to specific human genetic markers known as HLA-B and HLA-C allotypes—molecules that play a critical role in how the immune system recognizes viruses.
HLA-Based Discovery Reveals COVID-19 T-Cell Targets That Can Revolutionize Prophylactic
Strategies in Northeast Asia
The research was conducted by scientists from the Department of Microbiology and Immunology at the Medical School of Southeast University in Nanjing, the Blood Group Reference Laboratory at Nanjing Red Cross Blood Center, and the State Key Laboratory of Pathogen and Biosecurity at the Academy of Military Medical Sciences in Beijing. This
Medical News report explains how these findings challenge the current vaccine approach and pave the way for more adaptive, region-specific immunization strategies.
Why HLAs Matter in the Immune Fight Against COVID-19
Human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) are proteins found on the surface of cells that help the immune system identify and destroy invading viruses. Most COVID-19 vaccines currently in use were designed to produce antibodies targeting the spike protein of the virus. However, spike proteins mutate frequently, and antibodies often wane over time, making such vaccines less effective in the long run.
T-cells, however, can provide longer-lasting protection and target more stable parts of the virus. Yet until now, most research on COVID-19 T-cell responses focused on a narrow set of HLA types—mainly HLA-A allotypes. This new study instead zeroes in on 13 HLA-B and 13 HLA-C variants that are highly prevalent in Northeast Asian populations, covering over 70% and 90% of people in the region respectively.
Uncovering Powerful T-Cell Triggers Hidden in the Virus
The researchers used advanced computer algorithms to scan the SARS-CoV-2 virus for fragments—known as epitopes—that are most likely to be recognized by T-cells when presented by these common HLA-B and HLA-C molecules. From a total of 679 candidate peptides, they synthesized and tested 192 promising ones using blood samples from individuals who had recovered from COVID-19.
They then ran a series of laboratory experiments to determine which of these peptides could actually trigger memory CD8+ T-cell responses. In total, 67 HLA-B-restricted and 53 HLA-C-restricted epitopes were confirmed to be immunogenic, meaning they reliably activated immune cells. Many of these epitopes were located in parts of the virus that mutate less frequently, such as the envelope, membrane, and RNA polymerase proteins.
High Herd Coverage and Strong Binding Confirm Vaccine Potential
Importantly, many of the confirmed T-cell epitopes were
shown to activate responses in up to 36.7% of the tested individuals, suggesting a high “herd predominance” or population-wide impact. The team also developed 26 cell lines expressing specific HLA-B and HLA-C molecules to test how well these epitopes could bind. Many of the peptides demonstrated strong or intermediate binding across multiple HLA variants, making them suitable candidates for multipeptide vaccine design.
A New Blueprint for Personalized Vaccine Development
This HLA-based strategy could help overcome a major limitation in current vaccine design: the assumption that one formulation can protect everyone equally. Instead, this research suggests that personalized or region-specific vaccines could offer superior protection by targeting epitopes that match the prevalent HLA types in a given population.
Conclusion
This new study proves that T-cell epitopes restricted by HLA-B and HLA-C molecules are not only immunogenic but also widely applicable across large segments of the Northeast Asian population. By leveraging these findings, scientists can create next-generation multipeptide vaccines that trigger longer-lasting cellular immunity, are more resistant to viral mutations, and provide broader protection against COVID-19 and its variants. These insights also offer a valuable foundation for designing vaccines against future emerging viruses in a more personalized and effective way.
The study findings were published in the peer reviewed journal: Frontiers in Immunology.
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2025.1545510/full
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