S2K146 defends against coronavirus and its mutations, and it’s a good candidate for developing anti-infection drugs.

American researchers have found an antibody that neutralizes a wide range of sarbecoviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.

The study published in the journal Science was carried out by researchers from the University of Washington in Seattle and Humabs Biomed SA.

The S2K146 antibody was extracted from the B cells of a COVID-19 survivor. It targets the viral spike protein, like other antibodies generated by SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, and effectively protects against infection.

Experiments on Syrian hamsters revealed that S2K146 totally inhibited viral multiplication in the lungs.

“S2K146 mimics the molecular contacts formed with the ACE2 receptor by binding exactly where the spike protein needs to attach to the cell,” said the authors.

According to the study’s authors, it will be extremely difficult for future SARS-CoV-2 mutations to escape S2K146 and remain alive.

Only one form of the coronavirus was found to be immune to the antibody, but it had a limited ability to infect cells.

“Our findings suggest it’s a very good candidate for clinical development as monoclonal antibody treatment,” said study leader David Veesler, associate professor of biochemistry at the University of Washington School of Medicine.

Source: 10.1126/science.abm8143

Image Credit: Getty

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