A technology developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Center has led to the discovery of an ultra-powerful monoclonal antibody against multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2, reports Fakti.bg.
The antibody has rare characteristics that make it a valuable addition to a limited set of widely reactive therapeutic antibodies, researchers in the journal Cell Reports reported.
The technology, called LIBRA-seq, has helped speed up the detection of antibodies that can neutralize SARS-CoV-2. It also enables researchers to detect antibodies against other viruses that have not yet caused human disease, but that have the potential to do so.
“This is one way to proactively build a repertoire of potential therapeutic agents against future outbreaks,” said Dr. Ivelin Georgiev, director of the Computational Microbiology and Immunology program at the American Vanderbilt Institute.
“Pathogens do not stop developing and we are basically catching up with them,” said Georgiev from Stara Zagora, adding: “A proactive approach is needed, which anticipates future outbreaks before they occur, in order to prevent a recurrence of COVID-19.”
In their report, Georgiev and his colleagues described the isolation of a monoclonal antibody from a patient who had recovered from COVID-19. The antibody has unusual genetic and structural characteristics that distinguish it from other monoclonal antibodies commonly used to treat COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 is thought to be less likely to mutate to escape an antibody it has not “seen” before.
LIBRA-seq technology involves binding the B-cell receptor to antigen specificity by sequencing. If this antigen is isolated, it can be used for therapy or a vaccine against COVID-19.
“There is no time to lose,” says Georgiev, “if we give the virus enough time, so many other mutations will occur that – by avoiding current vaccines – could be even worse than the delta.”
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