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| A plasma cell, situated in its survival niche, produces Y shaped antibodies. Long-lived plasma cells are needed for successful vaccines as they can produce anti-virus antibodies for decades. Image: Tarlinton lab |
Long-lived plasma cells are needed for successful vaccines as they can produce anti-virus antibodies for decades. A recent study by Monash University immunologists is unpacking the factors contributing to successful survival of plasma cells.
In the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak, a lot of research is focused on developing a vaccine. For a vaccine to be successful, it has to do two things. First, it must signal the body to generate a lot of plasma cells to make anti-virus antibodies. Second, these plasma cells have to live for years or even decades for the vaccination to work. However, the reality is that most of them only survive a few days.
