Science: Super potent antibody mixture blocks the new coronavirus from attaching to host cells

September 27, 2020 /--- -- The new coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in 2019, is now raging around the world.
In a new study, researchers from the United States, France, Belgium and Italy found that a super-powerful antibody mixture from recovering COVID-19 patients identified and blocked the infection complex of the pandemic coronavirus and prevented it from entering cells.
the role of each type of super-powerful antibody overlaps, but is slightly different.
these ultra-powerful antibodies, whether used alone or mixed together, can prevent SARS-CoV-2 from replicating in the lungs, thus protecting hamsters from infection when exposed to the virus.
results were published online September 24, 2020 in the journal Science under the title "Ultrapotent human antibodies antibodies against protectst SARS-CoV-2 challenge via multiple mechanisms".
S2E12 and antibody-identifying the subject binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 hedgehog protein, pictured is Science, 2020, doi:10.1126/science.abe3354.
author of the paper is Dr. Katja Fink of Humabs Biomed SA, a subsidiary of Vir Biotechnology in Switzerland, and Dr. David Veesler, Associate Professor of Biochemistry, University of Washington School of Medicine, USA.
Veesler studied the molecular structure and infection mechanisms of multiple coronavirus and other viruses.
first author of the paper is M. Martina Beltramello of Alejandra Tortorici and Humabs Biomed SA.
advantage of this antibody mixture is that they may also prevent the natural mutant form of the coronavirus from escaping treatment during this pandemic.
the coronavirus pandemic, some mutants have been found in its infectious complex, and a mixture of antibodies can be used to mediate a range of such virus mutants.
addition to preventing SARS-CoV-2 from entering host cells, the presence of these antibodies appears to trigger anti-infection effects on other immune cells, which remove the virus when they arrive.
"We believe that using a number of different, complementary mechanisms of role can provide additional benefits for clinical applications," the researchers said.
", the researchers determined how these antibodies function at the molecular level by conducting cryogenic electroscopic studies of the resulting structural changes in viral infection complexes.
In addition to directly blocking the interaction of the viral infection complex with the host receptor, one of the two newly discovered antibodies locks the viral infection complex into an inactive configuration, which means that it cannot fuse with the host membrane on the cell surface.
can't fuse, the coronavirus can't break through, and it can't deliver its RNA to conquer the host cells.
need effective treatment to control the spread of SARS-CoV-2, a virus that has killed more than 978,000 people worldwide.
at a time when the world is waiting for a vaccine to be approved, people are looking for drugs to prevent or treat this pandemic coronavirus infection.
these drugs may both fill the gap before the vaccine is widely distributed and continue to be used after the vaccine is available.
the results pave the way for the use of antibody mixtures for prevention or treatment, which may have the advantage of circumventing or limiting the emergence of virus escape mutations," the researchers said.
"the antibody mixture in their study required human clinical trials to determine safety and effectiveness.
(bioon.com) Resources: 1.M. Alejandra Tortorici et al. Ultrapotent human antibodies protect against SARS-CoV-2 challenge via multiple mechanisms. Science, 2020, doi:10.1126/science.abe3354.2.Ultrapotent antibody mix blocks COVID-19 virus attachment.