MillionMilesAway
Well-Known Member
Most mutations are point mutations which are very small and still encode for the exact same amino acid, and so have no effect at all.
Prof Gilbert said that their MERS vaccine worked well on a whole variety of MERS strains.
I don't think that's entirely accurate on the science, although the essence is correct.
It is true that most mutations are point mutations. It is very uncommon for a mutation to not change the amino acid, although it is probably possible on odd occasions.
What it may do is mutate in an inactive part of the virus, which is when it will have minimal impact.