By Nancy Lapid

(Reuters) – The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. There are some research gaps that require further investigation to verify the findings. These studies have not been certified by peer review.

Vaccinated pregnant women pass antibodies to babies

Pregnant women who get an mRNA vaccine against COVID-19 pass high levels of protective antibodies on to their babies, new research shows. Doctors analyzed umbilical cord blood from 36 newborns whose mothers had received at least one dose of an mRNA vaccine from Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna (NASDAQ:). Each of 36 babies tested positive for antibodies to the viral spike protein. The mothers of all the infants could also be identified as the source of the antibodies. According to Dr. Ashley Roman, coauthor at NYU Langone Health, New York City, the findings were published Wednesday in American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynology – Maternal and Fetal Medicine. They show that antibodies the mother has been building up to the vaccine cross the placenta and are likely to provide benefits to infants after they’re born. There is no way to know if the time of vaccine administration during pregnancy affects the levels of antibodies in the baby. Roman added that we don’t know the length of time these antibodies stay in the infant. The presence of antibodies in cord blood (which is also the blood of the fetus) indicates that there are potential benefits to maternal vaccination.

Scientists map antibody binding sites on virus spike

A new COVID-19 “antibody map” is helping researchers identify antibodies that will be able to neutralize the coronavirus even after it mutates, according to a report published on Thursday in Science. Global research teams used hundreds of COVID-19 virus survivors to identify the locations where antibodies attach to spike proteins on the virus’ surface. These are what the virus uses to enter cells and cause infection. Researchers searched for antibodies that targeted spike proteins that were so critical for viral life cycles that they could not be used without them. These areas are likely to be targeted for vaccines and treatment even after the virus becomes more dangerous. Kathryn Hastie, coauthor of the La Jolla Institute for Immunology, California said in a press release that “if you make an antibody cocktail you would want at least one of these antibodies because they will probably maintain their effectiveness against all variants.” The Coronavirus Immunotherapeutic consortium, which is her team, made both the map and the color-coded list of antibodies publically available to scientists.

J&J vaccine efficacy holds steady, increases with booster

A U.S. study comparing nearly 400,000 people who got the one-shot COVID-19 vaccine from Johnson & Johnson (NYSE:) with 1.52 million people of similar ages, genders and health issues who were unvaccinated showed it was 79% effective at preventing confirmed coronavirus infections and 81% effective at preventing COVID-19 hospitalizations, J&J said in a report posted on medRxiv ahead of peer review. According to the company, there were no indications of a reduction in effectiveness from March through late July. This period included the emergence of highly contagious Delta virus. A separate study suggests that a second booster shot, given approximately two months following the initial dose, increased the effectiveness of the vaccine to 94% against COVID-19. This latest data was announced Tuesday by the company. The study showed that half of those surveyed had received the second dose within 36 days. The side effects from the second shot were similar to the ones seen in the studies on the first. The data will be submitted for publication in the coming months, J&J said.

Click for a Reuters graphic https://tmsnrt.rs/3c7R3Bl on vaccines in development.