Project description:
Our work provides the insight into the mechanism by which adenoviral vector-based Covid-19 vaccines could, in rare cases, lead to blood clots and a low platelet count (so-called VITT; vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis). We demonstrated that a protein of the adenovirus (protein VII) resembles the body’s own blood protein platelet factor 4 (PF4). In very rare cases, the presence of a genetic predisposition together with randomly occurring genetic alterations (so-called somatic mutations) can lead to a misdirection of the immune system. Instead of targeting protein VII, antibodies are suddenly formed against PF4, which then activate platelets and trigger dangerous blood clots. These findings may help to make future adenoviral vector-based vaccines even safer in a targeted way.
Publication: Wang, J. J.*, Schönborn, L.*, Warkentin, T. E., Müller, L., Thiele, T., Ulm, L., ... & Greinacher, A. (2026). Adenoviral inciting antigen and somatic hypermutation in VITT. New England Journal of Medicine, 394(7), 669-683.
*shared first-authorship
Submitting the Paper of the Month:
Else Kröner-Fresenius-Stiftung is using the series “Paper of the Month” to report in an exemplary and hot-off-the-press style on the outstanding work being done by the scientists it supports. We regularly present publications which have recently appeared in especially renowned journals, have emerged from foundation funding and been given appropriate acknowledgment. This is done in the respective categories “Original Paper” and “Review”. In the case of each of these publications, the first author and/or senior author are being funded by the foundation.
We invite all project managers, fellowship recipients and members of graduate study programs to send their work in accordance with the stated criteria as proposal for Paper of the Month to Ms. Anne Asschenfeldt (a.asschenfeldt@ekfs.de).
More Paper of the Month can be found here.
