Scientists claim that the antibody protects against both the coronavirus and its strains – it also prevents the virus from developing resistance to existing treatments
Scientists in Switzerland have created a new antibody that can fight even new mutant strain of the coronavirus.
As they claim, the second-generation antibody protects both from the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus itself and all its mutated strains circulating in the community, while preventing the virus from developing resistance to existing treatments for COVID-19 infection.
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Researchers at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB; Bellinzona, Switzerland), associated with the Università della Svizzera(USI) in Italy have created the second generation antibody combining two natural antibodies. The bispecific antibody targets two independent sites of the virus at the same time and makes it effective in treating the disease.
What the pre-clinical studies showed
Pre-clinical trials of this new antibody have shown that it can neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and its mutant strains, including the British mutation.
This antibody can prevent the coronavirus from changing its structure and escaping treatment. In fact, its specialization (dual specialization) and its other characteristics make it suitable to be tested in humans and to develop a real treatment.
“We exploited our knowledge of the molecular structure and biochemical traits of the virus to fuse together two human antibodies, obtaining a single bispecific molecule simultaneously attacking the virus in two independent sites critical for infectivity,” explains Luca Varani, head of the scientific team.
“A single injection of the bispecific antibody provides instantaneous protection against the disease in pre-clinical trials. The antibody effectively reduces viral burden in the lungs and mitigates inflammation typical of COVID-19,” added Daniel Ruzekfrom of the Czech Academy of Sciences who led the antibody pre-clinical testing.
