(Paris) A monoclonal antibody capable of neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 virus responsible for COVID in the laboratory – 19 was identified by a team of Dutch researchers.
Posted on May 4, 2020 at 2pm
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Agence France-Presse
This neutralizing antibody against the coronavirus – 19 responsible for COVID and also against the one responsible for SARS in 2003 could be a way for the “prevention and treatment” of these diseases, according to the researchers’ article, which was published on Monday in the journal Nature.
The team from the University of Utrecht and the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, led by Berend-Jan Bosch and Frank Grosveld, has 51 cell lines that produce antibodies that target a remarkable protein on the surface of the two corona viruses.
The same protein is involved in binding the SARS-CoV-2 virus to the ACE2 receptor on the surface of human cells and plays a key role in the COVID-19 infection process.
A test was then developed to determine whether the antibodies could neutralize the two coronaviruses. One of these antibodies showed a “neutralizing activity” on both COVID virus 19 and SARS.
Scientists have found that this antibody “targets” the area in which viruses attach to ACE2 receptors, but without strictly affecting the mechanism of coupling viruses to ACE2, which suggests another mechanism of action that remains to be seen. determine.
However, the Dutch team believes that this antibody, alone or in combination with other neutralizing antibodies, “could potentially support the development of therapeutic strategies in the future,” Nature said.
“There is still a long way to go before we know whether this antibody can be useful for therapeutic purposes, but it is an important step forward,” said an independent expert from the University of Sussex in England, Pr Tony Carr.
“An interesting observation is that this antibody does not directly interfere with the binding of the virus to the ACE2 receptor, which opens up the possibility of being used with other antibodies,” added this molecular genetics specialist. in statements to the Science Media Center.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made copies of a specific type of antibody. They are a form of immunotherapy.
By targeting the same “epitope” (remarkable molecule) as a protein on the surface of a virus, these substances can neutralize the virus’ ability to infect human cells.
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