We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
ARAB HEALTH - INFORMA

Download Mobile App





Researchers Develop SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody that Could Cure as Well as Prevent COVID-19

By HospiMedica International staff writers
Posted on 21 May 2020
Print article
Image: Sunney Xie (in the middle) and some members of his team (Photo courtesy of Peking University)
Image: Sunney Xie (in the middle) and some members of his team (Photo courtesy of Peking University)
A team of Chinese researchers have successfully identified multiple highly potent neutralizing antibodies against the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 from convalescent plasma by using high-throughput single-cell sequencing.

The new results of animal studies carried out by researchers at Peking University {(PKU) Beijing, China} showed that their neutralizing antibody provides a potential cure for COVID-19 as well as means for short-term prevention, making a major milestone in the fight against the pandemic.

The researchers collected blood samples from over 60 convalescent patients, among which 14 highly potent neutralizing antibodies were selected from 8,558 antigen-binding IgG1+ clonotypes. Their most potent antibody, BD-368-2, exhibited an IC50 of 8pM and 100pM against pseudotyped and authentic SARS-CoV-2. The in vivo antiviral experiment of neutralizing antibodies using hACE2 transgenic mice model showed that BD-368-2 antibody could provide strong therapeutic efficacy and prophylactic protection against SARS-CoV-2: When the BD-368-2 antibody was injected into infected mice, virus load was decreased by ~ 2400 times; when uninfected mice were injected with BD-368-2, they were protected from the virus infection.

In addition, the researchers also obtained the 3.8Å Cryo-EM structure of a neutralizing antibody in complex with the Spike-ectodomain trimer. It revealed the antibody’s epitope overlaps with the ACE2 binding-site, which provides the structural basis of neutralization. Moreover, they showed that SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies could be selected with high efficiency based on similarities of their predicted structures to those of SARS-CoV neutralizing antibodies, hence greatly expediting the screening process. The potent neutralizing antibody could be used to develop drugs for both therapeutic intervention and prophylactic protection against SARS-CoV-2. Clinical trials are underway, and the researchers are confident of finding a cure.

“If the COVID-19 epidemic reappears in the winter, our neutralizing antibody might be available by that time,” said Sunney Xie, Director of Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Genomics at PKU.

Related Links:
Peking University

Gold Member
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Sample-To-Answer Test
SARS‑CoV‑2/Flu A/Flu B/RSV Cartridge (CE-IVD)
Gold Member
STI Test
Vivalytic Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) Array
New
LED Examination Lamp
Clarity 50 LED
New
Hospital Bed
Alphalite

Print article

Channels

Critical Care

view channel
Image: The BrioVAD System featuring the innovative BrioVAD Pump (Photo courtesy of BrioHealth Solutions)

Innovative Ventricular Assist Device Provides Long-Term Support for Advanced Heart Failure Patients

Advanced heart failure represents the final stages of heart failure, where the heart’s ability to pump blood effectively is severely compromised. This condition often results from underlying health issues... Read more

Surgical Techniques

view channel
Image: The new treatment combination for subdural hematoma reduces the risk of recurrence (Photo courtesy of Neurosurgery 85(6):801-807, December 2019)

Novel Combination of Surgery and Embolization for Subdural Hematoma Reduces Risk of Recurrence

Subdural hematomas, which occur when bleeding happens between the brain and its protective membrane due to trauma, are common in older adults. By 2030, chronic subdural hematomas are expected to become... Read more

Patient Care

view channel
Image: The portable biosensor platform uses printed electrochemical sensors for the rapid, selective detection of Staphylococcus aureus (Photo courtesy of AIMPLAS)

Portable Biosensor Platform to Reduce Hospital-Acquired Infections

Approximately 4 million patients in the European Union acquire healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) or nosocomial infections each year, with around 37,000 deaths directly resulting from these infections,... Read more

Health IT

view channel
Image: First ever institution-specific model provides significant performance advantage over current population-derived models (Photo courtesy of Mount Sinai)

Machine Learning Model Improves Mortality Risk Prediction for Cardiac Surgery Patients

Machine learning algorithms have been deployed to create predictive models in various medical fields, with some demonstrating improved outcomes compared to their standard-of-care counterparts.... Read more

Point of Care

view channel
Image: The acoustic pipette uses sound waves to test for biomarkers in blood (Photo courtesy of Patrick Campbell/CU Boulder)

Handheld, Sound-Based Diagnostic System Delivers Bedside Blood Test Results in An Hour

Patients who go to a doctor for a blood test often have to contend with a needle and syringe, followed by a long wait—sometimes hours or even days—for lab results. Scientists have been working hard to... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.