Newly discovered antibodies have the potential to combat all strains of Covid, including the recently emerged Omicron variant. These antibodies were found in the blood of patients who had previously survived the SARS virus in 2002 and received a Covid vaccination in recent years. The most powerful antibody, E7, was able to neutralize the Omicron variant, which has caused a significant increase in cases in the US.
The international team of researchers, led by Duke-NUS Medical School in Singapore, found that E7 inhibits the virus’s ability to infect cells and cause illness by blocking its shape-shifting process. E7 binds to two spike proteins on the surface of the virus, preventing it from invading cells. These findings are particularly important as Covid cases continue to surge in the US, with a 10% rise in hospitalizations.
However, experts from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reassured that the current wave of Covid cases remains considerably lower than previous outbreaks in the last three summers. Dr. Brendan R. Jackson, the CDC’s Covid-19 incident manager, stated that the early signs of this wave do not indicate a significant cause for concern. He also highlighted that Covid-related deaths have steadily decreased in recent months.
This new research, published in Science Advances, suggests that strict government protocols in response to Covid and other sarbecoviruses may no longer be necessary. The collaboration between researchers from Singapore, Australia, and the United States identified six antibodies that effectively killed multiple Covid-19 variants. These monoclonal antibodies showed promising results against the original Covid strain as well as the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron variants.
Previous attempts to develop monoclonal antibody treatments for Covid patients proved ineffective against rapidly evolving variants. However, the six new antibodies were discovered in patients who survived the SARS virus and received the Pfizer-BioNTech mRNA vaccine. This combination of natural and vaccine-induced immunity proved highly effective against all sarbecoviruses.
The study’s senior author, Wang Linfa, expressed hope that these findings pave the way for pan-coronavirus vaccines. The research identified three antibodies, E7, F1, and F5, which were exceptionally broad and potent in their ability to neutralize various sarbecoviruses. E7, in particular, showed remarkable effectiveness against even the newest Omicron subvariants.
In collaboration with the National University of Singapore, the University of Melbourne in Australia, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington, the research team plans to further investigate these antibodies for potential therapeutic treatments against current and future coronavirus strains.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
