Adelaide, May 15: New research involving Flinders University and a team of international experts has led to significant advancements in understanding vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT), a condition first identified during the 2021 COVID-19 pandemic linked to adenovirus vector-based vaccines like Oxford-AstraZeneca.
VITT is triggered by a harmful autoantibody against platelet factor 4 (PF4). Intriguingly, a similar disorder associated with natural adenovirus infections was reported by researchers from Canada, North America, Germany, and Italy in 2023, involving the same PF4 antibody and resulting in fatal outcomes in some instances.
Dr. Jing Jing Wang and Professor Tom Gordon of Flinders University, who previously unraveled the molecular structure of the PF4 antibody and a related genetic risk factor in 2022, have now expanded this research.
Collaborating with international colleagues, they discovered that the PF4 antibodies in both classic and infection-associated VITT share identical molecular structures.
“These findings, using a completely new approach for targeting blood antibodies developed at Flinders University, indicate a common triggering factor on virus and vaccine structures that initiates the pathological PF4 antibodies,” explains Professor Gordon. He highlights the broader implications of their work, stating, “Indeed, the pathways of lethal antibody production in these disorders must be virtually identical and have similar genetic risk factors.”
The research not only enhances our understanding of VITT but also has significant implications for future vaccine development, ensuring safer immunization strategies.
The findings, soon to be published in the New England Journal of Medicine, underscore the potential of these insights to influence both disease treatment and vaccine safety protocols.
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