In a new study, researchers developed a double antibody that targets two sites of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, thereby preventing the virus from mutating to resist the therapy.
They found that the antibody potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and its variants and protects against COVID-19.
The research was conducted by a team at Karolinska Institutet and elsewhere.
Antibody-based immunotherapy has already been shown to be effective against COVID-19 but faces two main obstacles.
It needs to work against the circulating viral variants and it must prevent the formation of new variants that can rapidly ensue via a mechanism similar to that leading to antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
In the study, the team solved the problem by joining two natural antibodies into a single artificial molecule, called ‘bispecific antibody,” that targets two independent viral sites simultaneously.
They found that this bispecific antibody potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, including the recent UK variant circulating in Sweden and Europe with increased spread.
In contrast to antibodies that target only one viral site, the bispecific antibody prevents the virus from changing its structure to evade therapy.
The team says the coronavirus is mutating, and it will continue to mutate, so we need treatments that can keep up with these changes and work effectively on all variants of the virus.
A single injection of the bispecific antibody provided protection against the disease. The antibody effectively reduced the viral burden in the lungs and mitigated inflammation typical of COVID-19.
The antibody is an ideal candidate for human clinical trials, with good chances of employment both for prevention and treatment of COVID-19, according to the researchers.
The study is published in Nature. One author of the study is Qiang Pan-Hammarström.
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