Collaboration to Develop Monoclonal Antibody Therapy to Prevent and Treat COVID-19
Update: Researchers report discovery of human antibody
Utrecht 木瓜福利影视 (UU), Erasmus Medical Center (EMC), Harbour BioMed (HBM), and AbbVie (NYSE:ABBV) announced they have entered into a collaboration to develop a novel antibody therapeutic to prevent and treat COVID-19, the pandemic respiratory disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The focus of the collaboration is on advancing the fully human, neutralizing antibody 47D11 discovered by UU, EMC and HBM and recently reported in . This antibody targets the conserved domain of the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.
鈥淭he SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has highlighted the importance of understanding coronavirus biology,鈥 said Berend-Jan Bosch, PhD, Associate Professor, Research leader at UU. 鈥淭he collaboration with AbbVie provides an excellent opportunity to translate our research into a clinical candidate with great potential for advancing the fight against this disease.鈥
Antibody blocks infection
The antibody discovery, published online on May 4 in , targets a conserved region of the virus鈥 spike protein. In cell culture studies the antibody blocked infection by the SARS-CoV-2 and a second coronavirus SARS-CoV. The antibody is fully human, which is designed to facilitate its development and minimize immune-related side effects.