Moderna’s COVID‑19 Vaccine Holds Its Own Against Delta, Says New Lab Findings
Not all superheroes wear capes, but Moderna’s mRNA‑1273 is showing its heroism once again. On June 29, the company announced that the vaccine still punches pretty well against the Delta variant that first surfaced in India, even though its response is a touch lower than its original, China‑based formulation.
How the Study Was Cubed
- Eight lucky volunteers were sampled one week after receiving the second dose.
- Blood serum was plated in a laboratory to measure how many antibodies the vaccine had summoned.
- The test looked at a squad of virus variants—Delta, Kappa, Beta, and more.
Antibody Performance, From Best to… Not‑So‑Best
All variants got a thank‑you note from the vaccine, but the response was not as loud as the original strain. Here’s a quick rundown:
- Delta variant – The vaccine still rattles off a solid antibody response, but the numbers slide down about 2.1–3.2 times compared to the China strain.
- Kappa variant – Similar to Delta, a modest dip but still inside the same range.
- Beta variant (3 strains) – The humbling truth: a 6–8 fold drop compared to the original coronavirus.
“These new data are encouraging and reinforce our belief that the Moderna Covid‑19 vaccine should remain protective against newly detected variants,” CEO Stéphane Bancel said, sounding confident. Think of it like a trusty Swiss Army knife that still does the job, even when the world throws new challenges at it.
The Business Boost
Meanwhile, India granted permission to import Moderna’s vaccine for limited use, nudging the drugmaker’s shares up 5.5 %. The prompt, pre‑print study on bioRxiv keeps the press humming and the plot thickening. And as always, authors don’t just scramble for power—scientists are busy turning labs into battlefields against the pandemic.
