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Monitoring Serum Spike Protein with Disposable Photonic Biosensors Following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination – PMC
Little data exists on the presence of spike protein in circulation following Covid-19 vaccination. Moreover, the degradation of spike proteins in human blood is also poorly studied. Currently, an informational website sponsored by the CDC says that the lifetime of the spike in the bloodstream is “unknown and may be a few weeks,” highlighting the need for studies such as this one [17]. As mentioned earlier, the vaccine contains a sequence for the full-length spike protein, including the transmembrane domain. This poses many questions about the exact mechanism of the immune response, including whether the spike protein is initially only adhered to host cells’ membranes, how it is then cleaved from host cells, and whether/how it enters the bloodstream. This process is poorly studied at this point, but the data shown here demonstrates an important first step in understanding the entire response by confirming that the spike protein generated in response to vaccination does, in fact, enter the bloodstream, persists for over a week, and is completely cleared within one month. Additionally, this suggests that circulating immune cells are involved in the generation of antibodies as well as long-term immunity, though further studies are needed to confirm this. Further, there is almost no data regarding antigen concentrations in the blood following all other types of vaccines, again highlighting the need for a platform that can determine population-scale discernment of vaccine mechanisms, particularly as novel vaccines are rapidly developed in future pandemic situations.”
