47D11 antibody to hope for a cure. Good news comes from Dutch research laboratories. It is a moderate hope for face up to these days of trepidation.

Antibody 47D11 - Utrecht University
Utrecht University

The University of Utrecht together with Erasmus Mc of Rotterdam has identified the first monoclonal antibody. It is able to cope with the Covid-19 disease.

Antibody 47D11

The credit for the discovery goes to cell biology professor Frank Grosveld and his working group. Researchers were already working on an antibody against SARS. Then the Covid-19 or Sars2 epidemic exploded. They realized that effective antibodies against the first disease were able to block the second as well. Grosveld, interviewed, spoke openly about this isolated antibody. It prevents SarsCov2 from infecting. It can also help detect the virus.

47D11 Antibody - tubes with colored caps

The Dutch researchers sent their XNUMX-page study to the scientific journal Nature. So now they await publication. However, the document is already on the platform digital BioRxiv. The title of the research is: "A human monoclonal antibody that blocks SarsCov2 infection". We are not talking about a vaccine. Instead of the antibody 47D11. In about a month it will be tested on patients.

47D11 antibody to attack spikes

This is because it has already been identified as a "neutralizing" antibody, that is, with an already established ability to attack the virus. This is an excellent achievement, which encourages cautious optimism. Well, the research is the first report on a monoclonal antibody that neutralizes SarsCov2. In practice, the 47D11 antibody binds an epitope, which is part of the virus recognizable by the immune system, stored on the pointed receptor. The antibody identified by the Dutch team attacks the spikes of the virus, which surround the viral molecule.

Utrecht - panoramic image of Utrecht
panorama of Utrecht

The spikes, therefore more simply defined as "spikes", attaching themselves to the mucous membranes, cause the collapse of the lungs. The antibody blocks an important pathogenic part of the virus, which causes fatal pneumonia. So blocking the spikes and neutralizing them means stopping the infection. Nonetheless, it is as if the antibody attached itself to the surface of the virus, destroying it. At the moment, as an alternative to the vaccine, which still requires a long time, "this antibody" can be a functional therapy.

 BioRxiv website

Basically, the method is that of the so-called "passive immunity". In this way, according to the Dutch study, the antibody can cross-neutralize "sarsCov2". For this, the antibody may be useful. It will treat patients, and will also serve for the development of antigen detection tests

Antibody 47D11 - image of a virus

The key thing is that neutralizing antibodies alter the course of the infection. They come to erase the virus. According to the research, this is a very important step towards the ultimate cure. The same methodology is also being followed at the Sacco hospital in Milan on patients who had abnormal pneumonia between December and January. The goal of the Italian researchers is the same. However, the antibodies still need to be identified. Once they are found, then you will have to figure out if they are able to hit SarsCov2. The Dutch university, however, is much further ahead, in fact, in less than a month it will be possible to intervene actively on the first sufferers.

Covid-19

Therefore, the researchers from Utrecht together with Erasmus Mc from Rotterdam, are already instilling concrete hope. This is because, by neutralizing the spikes that create pneumonia, Covid-19 disease can be killed. Meanwhile, the work of the researchers Dutch is available on the BioRxiv website. Finding out that the monoclonal antibody prevents it from binding to human cells was crucial. This makes it impossible for the virus to penetrate inside to replicate, which is a big step forward. This is why the Dutch team is convinced that the antibody ultimately has decisive potential. It will serve for the treatment and prevention of Covid-19. Studies are still ongoing and the antibody will be subjected to very strict tests. However, the researchers are confident. They hope to be able to convince a pharmaceutical company to produce it. This will quickly make the therapy available to patients.

# Italian in the heart

A hope to win Covid-19, the 47D11 antibody last edit: 2020-03-16T16:00:00+01:00 da simona help

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