A potential universal antibody cocktail that can combat all strains of SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has been developed by a team of scientists from Texas Biomedical Research Institute (Texas Biomed), the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), and Columbia University. The virus is known to continually evolve and evade current vaccine and therapeutic treatments, but this new human monoclonal antibody brings hope for a more effective solution.The original SARS-CoV-2 strain was effectively targeted by the body’s antibodies, as well as Omicron and SARS-CoV. This suggests that these antibodies will likely continue to be effective against future strains, especially when used in combination with other antibodies,” explained Luis Martinez-Sobrido, Ph.D., a Professor at Texas Biomed and co-lead author of the study, which has been published as a preprint on BioRXiv.
Antibodies are a crucial part of the human immune system, as they identify, attach to, and eliminate foreign substances such as viruses and harmful bacteria. Human monoclonal antibodies, which are artificially produced proteins that imitate the human immune response, can stimulate the body to create its own antibodies, thereby strengthening its ability to fight off infections.Combatting diseases is crucial in the medical field. Although current antibody treatments have been effective in treating COVID-19 patients, some treatments have become ineffective due to the virus evolving and the antibodies being unable to physically connect to the targeted area. This means that the key no longer fits the lock. The newly developed antibody, 1301B7, is a receptor binding domain antibody that targets the spike protein area responsible for allowing the virus to enter a cell. By focusing on this region, these antibodies are essentially preventing the virus from infecting a cell. “The antibody binds to mu”.The research team at UAB, including James Kobie, Ph.D., and Mark Walter, Ph.D., discovered that the monoclonal antibody can bind to multiple positions within the receptor binding domain. This ability allows the antibody to withstand variations in the domain caused by the evolving virus. The antibody was designed using antibodies isolated from patients infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Testing at Texas Biomed and Columbia University confirmed the antibody’s effectiveness against various variants.In 2022, scientists identified a monoclonal antibody that targets a part of the spike known as the stalk. They intend to investigate the effects of combining this antibody with another one to attack the virus from multiple angles, with the hope of preventing it from evading neutralization. The researchers believe that using a single antibody therapy may not be effective, and they may need to explore a combination therapy approach similar to those developed for diseases such as Ebola and HIV, which involve using two or three antibodies together to target the virus.
Dr. Martinez-Sobrido explains that they are examining different regions of the virus.
They are also looking into converting the antibodies into a preventive vaccine.
Dr. Martinez-Sobrido also mentions that they are working on creating vaccines that can stimulate these types of antibodies so that regular updates to vaccines are not necessary.
The group of scientists has applied for a provisional invention patent for 1301B7 and is currently in the process of licensing it for commercial use.
Scientists from Dr. Martinez-Sobrido’s lab at Texas Biomed who were involved in this research include Ahmed Magdy Khalil, Ph.D., Ahmed Mostafa, Ph.D., Yao Ma, Ph.D., and Chengj.
Ph.D. Ye received substantial funding for this project from the National Institutes of Health 1R01AI161175.
