A group of scientists have discovered an antibody that appears to prevent coronavirus from infecting human cells.
Richard Hartley-ParkinsonTuesday 5 May 2020 7:31 am
It is hoped the antibody will lead to treatment and ultimately a vaccine against coronavirus (Picture: Getty)
The discovery is seen as a major breakthrough and could significantly help those developing treatments and vaccines against the killer virus. Professor Berend-Jan Bosch, co-lead author of the study, said the antibody – called 47D11 – targets the bug’s ‘spike protein’. It hooks onto a locking point on human cells to insert its genetic material, makes multiple copies of itself and spreads throughout the body.
He said: ‘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.’
It could lead to a therapy that would be given to somebody immediately after they become infected or exposed. The antibody binds to an enzyme called ACE2 that acts as the viruses ‘doorway’ to cells. Covid-19 is an infectious disease triggered by a strain known as SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus).
It is spread through small respiratory droplets from sneezing or coughing – leading to fever, cough and difficulty breathing. In tests the monoclonal antibody neutralised SARS-CoV-2. Further studies are planned to see if the findings translate to the clinic.
Professor Bosch and colleagues identified it from 51 cell lines from mice that had been engineered to carry human genes. When they were exposed to different coronaviruses they produced antibodies to the spike protein. Only one – 47D11 – destroyed both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. It was then turned into a fully human version.
Professor Bosch said: ‘This cross-neutralising feature of the antibody is very interesting and suggests it may have potential in mitigation of diseases caused by future-emerging related coronaviruses.’
The study published in Nature Communications offers potential for ‘prevention and treatment of COVID-19,’ said Professor Bosch. It builds on almost two decades of work by the same team since the first SARS epidemic of 2002 that killed almost 800 people and infected over 8,000.
Professor Bosch said: ‘Using this collection of SARS-CoV antibodies we identified an antibody that also neutralises infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells.
The coronavirus pandemic has spread so rapidly it’s infected more than 3.3 million and claimed almost a quarter of a million lives. Co-lead author Professor Frank Grosveld, of Erasmus Medical Centre in Rotterdam, said: ‘This discovery provides 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.’
Conventional therapeutic antibodies are first developed in other species and then must undergo additional work to ‘humanise’ them.
The therapy is being developed by Massachusetts based global tech giant Harbour BioMed. Founder and chair Dr Jingsong Wang said: ‘This is groundbreaking research. Much more work is needed to assess whether this antibody can protect or reduce the severity of disease in humans.
‘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.’
