Synthetic Antibody?
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Scientists say they’ve discovered an antibody that blocks infection by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus behind the current global health crisis.
The antibody, known as 47D11, targets the deadly virus's infamous 'spike protein', which it uses to hook onto cells and insert its genetic material.
Tests in mice cells showed that 47D11 binds to this protein and prevents it from hooking on – effectively neutralising it.
The breakthrough offers hope of a treatment for the respiratory disease COVID-19, which has killed more than 235,000 people to date.
Researchers said the antibody, if injected into humans, could alter the 'course of infection' or protect an uninfected person exposed to someone with the virus.
The successful antibody, 47D11, binds to an enzyme called ACE2 – which is also present in SARS-CoV-2 – and acts as the virus’s 'doorway' to human cells.
‘The researchers in this study have developed an antibody that binds to the spike and blocks virus entry into cells,’ said Dr Simon Clarke, professor of Cellular Microbiology at University of Reading, who wasn’t involved in the study.
‘Antibodies like this can be made in the lab instead of purified from people's blood and could conceivably be used as a treatment for disease, but this has not yet been demonstrated.
‘While it's an interesting development, injecting people with antibodies is not without risk and it would need to undergo proper clinical trials.’
Original article here: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-16256-y
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Well we treat it now by infusing the protein after extracting it from blood plasma.
This would make it easier to scale, more pure, and more robust - so less frequent infusions.
The treatment is imperfect, though, and does nothing about liver effects.
We have other treatments in development that are more promising.
