Scientists from the University Hospital of Lausanne and the Federal Polytechnic School of that Swiss city (EPFL) announced today the discovery of a monoclonal antibody capable of neutralizing all variants of COVID-19, including delta. The scientific finding, published in the specialized journal ‘Cell Reports’, has been achieved by isolating lymphocytes from patients with covid-19.
The antibody is “one of the most potent so far identified against the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus,” EPFL said in a statement. As he explained, eThe antibody blocks spike proteins (which give the virus its characteristic “corona” shape) and thereby prevent it from infecting lung cells, which stops the viral replication process and allows the patient’s immune system to eliminate the coronavirus from the body.
The scientists also ensure that the new monoclonal antibody is more durable, since it provides protection for about six months, versus three to four weeks for other antibodies. “This makes it an interesting preventive treatment for unvaccinated individuals at risk, or for vaccinated people who have not been able to produce an immune response,” said the Swiss university statement.
Immunocompromised patients, recipients of a transplanted organ or patients with certain types of cancer could be protected against the coronavirus by receiving injections of the discovered antibody two or three times a year, experts from EPFL predicted. Clinical trials of a drug based on these antibodies will begin in late 2022
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