European scientists say they discovered an antibody they say “neutralizes” the coronavirus — hailing it as a potential treatment for the deadly bug, according to their research.
“This antibody — either alone or in combination— offers the potential to prevent and/or treat COVID-19, and possibly also other future emerging diseases in humans,” claimed the study published in the journal Nature Communications.
The scientists released their study Monday — as the worldwide death toll from the pandemic reached 252,000.
“This is groundbreaking research,” said Dr. Jingsong Wang, the founder of Harbour BioMed (HBM), which carried out the study in the Netherlands with researchers at Utrecht University and Erasmus Medical Center.
“This discovery provides a strong foundation for additional research to characterize this antibody and begin development as a potential COVID-19 treatment,” insisted Frank Grosveld, the co-lead author of the study.
“The antibody used in this work is ‘fully human,’ allowing development to proceed more rapidly and reducing the potential for immune-related side effects,” said Grosveld, a professor of cell biology at Erasmus and the chief scientific officer at HBM.
The antibody, known as 47D11, targets the deadly virus’ “spike” protein, or ACE2, which the coronavirus uses to enter cells.
The study says that “neutralizes” the virus and its disease, COVID-19, “through a yet unknown mechanism.”
The research team identified the antibody from 51 cell lines from mice that had been engineered to carry human genes.
“Much more work is needed to assess whether this antibody can protect or reduce the severity of disease in humans,” Wang warned.
“We expect to advance development of the antibody with partners. We believe our technology can contribute to addressing this most urgent public health need and we are pursuing several other research avenues.”
