Patient's Antibodies After "atypical Pneumonia" Neutralized The SARS-CoV-2 Coronavirus

Patient's antibodies after "atypical pneumonia" neutralized the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus

In vitro, monoclonal antibodies bound the S-protein of the new coronavirus and blocked its ability to infect cells. Scientists believe that antibody research will help in the development of drugs and a vaccine against COVID-19.

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Antibodies that were isolated from a patient who had severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) in 2003 may suppress the ability of the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus to infect humans. This was shown by a study that was carried out in vitro. His results are published in Nature.

A major outbreak of SARS (“SARS”) was reported in 2003, but the disease was not as widespread as COVID-19. Its causative agent, the SARS-CoV coronavirus, is similar in structure and properties to the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus.

Scientists have obtained several types of monoclonal antibodies against SARS (SARS-CoV virus) from B-lymphocytes (memory cells) of a recovered patient. In laboratory conditions, they discovered which of them are able to bind to the new SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. Eight antibodies could neutralize the new coronavirus to varying degrees. One of them (S309) binds particularly strongly and specifically to the S-protein, which is responsible for human infection.

The antibodies bound to both the free virus and the virus that was in the infected cells. They could act on different parts of the S-protein, work separately and in combination with each other. Their combined use enhanced the effect.

The study authors suggest that antibodies that are able to neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus will help in the development of drugs or a vaccine against it. They believe that new data suggests that cocktails of various antibodies can be tried against COVID-19: this could be a response to possible mutations in SARS-CoV-2. But this must be preceded by human studies.