Researchers from the University of Washington, the Institute Pasteur in Paris, and Vir Biotechnology in Switzerland have developed an ultrapotent cocktail of human antibodies to eradicate SARS-CoV-2 from the system, per a study published in the journal Science .
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Earlier, researchers vouched for the isolation of monoclonal antibodies — artificially manufacture molecules from people who have survived coronavirus. The monoclonal antibodies can neutralise both SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV by clinging to the spike protein present in the outer layer of the virus.
The study
For the study, scientists monitored around 800 antibodies that were isolated from 12 people who recovered from the coronavirus. From these isolated antibodies, scientists again isolated two potent mAbs, S2E12 and S2M11.
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They then made a cocktail of S2E12 and S2M11 and tested it on Syrian hamsters. Scientists injected it in the peritoneum (abdomen) of the hamsters in the experiment group and then both the groups were exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus via the nose.
After four days, the lungs of these hamsters were examined to find out the quantity of infectious virus and viral RNA in them.
Results
Scientists observed that both mAbs alone and their cocktail successfully decrease the amount of viral RNA in the lungs by 2-5 orders of magnitude and curbed the replication of the virus significantly.
The scientists believe that this cocktail can also contain the spread of infection caused by the natural mutant forms of the novel coronavirus that have emerged during the pandemic.
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