A new study by University of Cambridge researchers suggests that Covid booster vaccines may help the immune system recognise not only SARS-CoV-2 variants but also some related coronaviruses found in animals.

The findings matter because some animal coronaviruses have the potential to cross into humans and trigger future outbreaks. Researchers said antibodies generated after Covid vaccination showed an ability to identify certain sarbecoviruses, the wider coronavirus group that includes SARS-CoV-2.

According to the University of Cambridge, the study found that vaccine-induced antibodies were not limited to current Covid variants. They also showed cross-recognition of some animal coronaviruses that scientists monitor because of their possible pandemic risk.

Grace West, a joint first author of the study from Cambridge’s Cambridge Institute of Therapeutic Immunology and Infectious Disease, said the team expected Covid vaccines to work against existing variants. The wider response to some animal coronaviruses was a more notable finding, according to the university.

The research does not mean current vaccines can prevent every future coronavirus outbreak. Instead, scientists said it adds to evidence that existing Covid vaccination may provide a broader immune foundation against related viruses.

More than 13 billion Covid vaccine doses have been administered globally since 2021, according to the World Health Organization. WHO says Covid vaccines have helped reduce severe illness, hospitalisation and deaths, particularly among people at higher risk.

The study highlights why researchers continue to examine booster vaccines and broader coronavirus immunity even after the emergency phase of the pandemic. Scientists say understanding cross-protection could help guide future vaccine design against coronaviruses that may emerge from animals.

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