Scientists have identified a fully human monoclonal antibody that prevents the SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting cultured cells, it was announced last night.
Researchers at Utrecht University, Erasmus Medical Centre and Harbour BioMed (HBM), in The Netherlands, have published their findings in the latest edition of Nature Communications, which builds on their previous work on antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV that emerged in 2002/2003.
Co-lead author Dr Berend-Jan Bosch, associate professor at Utrecht University, said: “Using this collection of SARS-CoV antibodies, we identified an antibody that also neutralises infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells. Such a neutralising antibody has potential to alter the course of infection in the infected host, support virus clearance or protect an uninfected individual that is exposed to the virus.”
The research team, which generated the antibody using Harbour BioMed’s H2L2 transgenic mouse technology, said the antibody binds to a domain that is conserved in both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, and this “cross-neutralising feature” means it could potentially mitigate diseases caused by future-emerging related coronaviruses.
Co-lead author Dr Frank Grosveld, academy professor of Cell Biology at the Erasmus Medical Centre, Rotterdam, said their findings provide a strong foundation for additional research to characterise this antibody and begin development as a potential Covid-19 treatment.
“The antibody used in this work is ‘fully human,’ allowing development to proceed more rapidly and reducing the potential for immune-related side effects,” he added.
Bosch BJ,Grosveld F, Wang C et al. A human monoclonal antibody blocking SARS-VoV-2 Infection. Nature Communication 4 May 2020
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