Publications by authors named "Kaho Okumura"
Article Synopsis
- Since 2019, SARS-CoV-2 has mutated, leading to various pandemic and epidemic waves that involve changes in its spike protein, which is key for the virus's entry into cells.
- Researchers studied the spike proteins from variants BA.2.86 and JN.1, discovering structures where ACE2 receptor binds to the spike protein in both up and down conformations.
- Their findings suggest that the down-conformation of the receptor-binding domain (RBD) is an important intermediate state that helps facilitate the virus's entry, with specific mutations like K356T impacting infectivity and resistance to neutralizing antibodies.
Due to the incessant emergence of various SARS-CoV-2 variants with enhanced fitness in the human population, controlling the COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging. Understanding how the virus enhances its fitness during a pandemic could offer valuable insights for more effective control of viral epidemics. In this manuscript, we review the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 from early 2022 to the end of 2023-from Omicron BA.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mRNA-1273 Moderna COVID-19 vaccine was introduced to combat the COVID-19 global pandemic in 2020. Although the safety of the vaccine has been investigated worldwide, real-world safety data is scarce in Japan. An online, real-time survey of adverse events following immunization (AEFIs) with mRNA-1273 was conducted in the setting of a workplace vaccination program at the School of Pharmacy, Keio University from 26 June 2021, to 11 June 2022.
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