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Vaccines protect many people from serious illness, but the strength of the immune response they produce can vary significantly from person to person. New research led by Arizona State University (ASU) has identified antibody patterns that may help explain some of those differences.
Researchers from ASU and collaborating institutions analyzed blood samples from more than 4,000 people, measuring antibodies that recognized 185 different antigens. The immune targets included common viruses and bacteria, as well as targets associated with autoimmune diseases.
Using artificial intelligence, the researchers examined blood samples collected before and after COVID-19 vaccination. The analysis identified antibody signatures that could distinguish people who developed strong vaccine responses from those whose responses were weaker.
The findings could eventually help support vaccination strategies tailored more closely to an individual’s immune system.
“What our study found is that certain biomarkers, when analyzed with AI, can predict who is likely to respond well to a vaccine, even before they receive it. This suggests that some people may be more immune-ready than others,” said Joshua LaBaer, who led the study.
LaBaer is executive director of ASU’s Biodesign Institute and director of the Virginia G. Piper Center for Personalized Diagnostics. Researchers from ASU and medical and research institutions across the United States also contributed to the study.
The findings were published in the journal Cell Press Blue.
Blood antibodies may reveal vaccine readiness
Scientists typically assess vaccine responses after vaccination by measuring whether the immune system has produced antibodies against the targeted pathogen. In this study, researchers took the opposite approach, examining whether immune patterns already present in the blood could predict how an individual would respond to a vaccine.
Several factors can influence vaccine responses, including age, sex, genetics, previous illnesses and underlying health conditions. People with weakened immune systems are generally more likely to develop weaker responses, but outcomes can still vary considerably among people with similar health profiles.
The researchers used one of the first approaches to examine a broad antibody “fingerprint” present before vaccination as an indicator of immune readiness.
Unlike some prediction methods that rely on genetic testing, the approach analyzes antibody patterns in blood, which could potentially make it easier to adapt for clinical use.
The researchers said further studies will be needed to determine how reliably the antibody signatures can predict responses to different vaccines and whether the approach can eventually be used to guide personalized vaccination.
