COVID-19: Scientists discover antibody which prevents virus from infecting cultured cells

At a time when the world is grappling with the coronavirus crisis, scientists have discovered an antibody which prevents the COVID-19 virus from infecting human cells. This finding is a step forward towards developing a fully human antibody to treat or prevent respiratory disease COVID-19.

Hyderabad: As the coronavirus continues to creep across the globe, a fully human monoclonal antibody that prevents the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) virus from infecting cultured cells, has been discovered by scientists of the Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Center and Harbour BioMed (HBM).

The fully-human antibody is different from conventional therapeutic antibodies, which are often first developed in other species before being "humanised" so they can be transmitted to people.

This finding is a step forward towards developing a fully human antibody to treat or prevent respiratory disease COVID-19.

Dr Berend-Jan Bosch, Associate Professor, Research leader at Utrecht University, said that this research works their group has done in the past on antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV that emerged in 2002/2003.

"Using this collection of SARS-CoV antibodies, we identified an antibody that also neutralizes infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells. Such a neutralizing antibody has the potential to alter the course of infection in the infected host, support virus clearance, or protect an uninfected individual that is exposed to the virus," he said.

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Dr Bosch further said that the antibody binds to a domain that is conserved in both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, explaining its ability to neutralize both viruses.

"This cross-neutralizing feature of the antibody is exciting and suggests it may have potential in mitigation of diseases caused by future-emerging related coronaviruses," he added.

Frank Grosveld, PhD Co-lead author on the study, Academy Professor of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam and Founding Chief Scientific Officer at Harbour BioMed, said that this discovery provides a strong foundation for additional research to characterize this antibody and begin development as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

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"The antibody used in this work is 'fully human,' allowing development to proceed more rapidly and reducing the potential for immune-related side effects," he added.

Dr Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman & Chief Executive Officer of HBM, said that this is a groundbreaking research and much more work is needed to assess whether this antibody can protect or reduce the severity of disease in humans.

It is pertinent to mention here that this discovery could offer an initial step towards developing a fully-human antibody to treat or prevent the disease, which has infected more than 3.5 million people worldwide and led to more than 2.45 lakh deaths.