Scientists Create Antibody That Defeats Coronavirus in Lab

[left-of-center2012]

Source: Bloomberg

Scientists created a monoclonal antibody that can defeat the new coronavirus in the lab, an early but promising step in efforts to find treatments and curb the pandemic’s spread.

The experimental antibody has neutralized the virus in cell cultures. While that’s early in the drug development process -- before animal research and human trials -- the antibody may help prevent or treat Covid-19 and related diseases in the future, either alone or in a drug combination, according to a study published Monday in the journal Nature Communications.

More research is needed to see whether the findings are confirmed in a clinical setting and how precisely the antibody defeats the virus.

The antibody known as 47D11 targets the spike protein that gives the new coronavirus a crown-like shape and lets it enter human cells. In the Utrecht experiments, it didn’t just defeat the virus responsible for Covid-19 but also a cousin equipped with similar spike proteins, which causes Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, or SARS.

Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-05-04/scientists-create-antibody-that-defeats-coronavirus-in-lab?srnd=premium

[tblue37]

1. K&R for visibility. nt

[Greybnk48]

2. This is exciting news!

Finger's crossed!

[napi21]

3. I hope the research shows success! That would be bthe perfect answer to the World problem! nt

[mpcamb]

18. Is trump buying up all the stock in whoever might get the patent?

[mopinko]

4. built on a solid tech foundation, too.

i was wondering how long it would take to engineer an antibody.
if i had bet money on a treatment, i would have picked just this.

[Shermann]

8. Has this been effectively used in the past with other viruses?

This is the first I'm hearing of it.

[GopherGal]

20. Yes, a well-established class of molecule...

Lots of monoclonal-antibody products around. So there are "platform" production processes which may only need to be tweaked to make the new product rather than built from ground up. Also familiarity with what issues to look for with regard to formulation/storage/stability issues should be a plus.

I think the down-side is that these traditional processes are tied to the mammalian cell technology, so the scale up won't be super fast.

[State the Obvious]

5. Let's see how Trump tries to SPIN this....

He WILL try to take credit for this....in one way or another. (i.e., it was his "genius" that kept the scientists focused.)

Not this time, Donald!
You have shown us who YOU are....and America is on to you!

[safeinOhio]

14. Trump will name it

Lysolozine Cloraximal.

[lunatica]

15. Yet oddly enough he'll never be able to pronounce it

[Eyeball_Kid]

19. Or... Trumpantec. n/t

[frazzled]

6. A monoclonal antibody ...

partly helped save my spouse's life. The monoclonal antibody Rituximab destroys both normal and malignant B cells that have CD20 on their surfaces. It was part of the R-CHOP chemo treatment for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. (The CHOP refers to four other drugs beginning with those letters that are part of the infusion).

So I hope this is promising for COVID-19. I also hope it doesn't take six months of 6-hour intravenous infusions to work (as in the case of the R-CHOP).

[ProfessorGAC]

21. That's A Revealing Post

Very nice!
Good for your wife that this helped!
You 2 take care.

[redstatebluegirl]

7. Every scientific lab in the world are racing to be the first.

I will believe we have something when it is confirmed by the data and an independent test. Everyone is rushing to get something out there and be the first, I have to be skeptical. I do hope something is found and I believe it will be, but I want to see the data first. There will be a lot of overreaction to every small discovery so lets call this cautious optimism.

[DeminPennswoods]

9. I wonder how this compares to the antibodies the human

immune system is producing in response to the virus?

[NNadir]

10. Antibody drugs have their own risks, one of which is "ADAs" - Anti-drug antibodies.

In the case of a cytokine storm, a strong immunogenicity response connected with an ADA might well prove to be very problematic, possibly a fatal response, at least in some patients.

What I am saying is there is a long way between "here and there."

The original paper, as a preprint - not peer reviewed - is here: A human monoclonal antibody blocking SARS-CoV-2 infection

[warmfeet]

11. K & R

[Tactical Peek]

12. Killing the virus in the lab:

[OMGWTF]

13. Watch Shitler take FULL CREDIT for any vaccine or treatment and watch the MAGATs lick it up.

[mr_lebowski]

16. The antibody works by putting off a very powerful light to disinfect the lungs, you see? nt

[Joinfortmill]

17. Great news. Thanks.

[EndlessWire]

22. Utrecht? That's a good university. n/t