Do antibodies remain effective against corona mutant?
The study, which was supervised by researchers from the Washington University School of Medicine, confirmed that many combination therapies from two antibodies are effective against a wide range of types of the virus. The study showed that these combination therapies prevent the emergence of what is known as drug resistance. The researchers tested the antibodies against a group of virus variants, which contain key mutations in the genes for a protein that the emerging coronavirus uses to invade cells. All virus treatments based on monoclonal antibodies work by interfering with the interaction between the protein and cells. Antibodies can be described as warriors in the immune system. When the Corona virus infects the body, the antibodies stick to the spiny protrusions on the surface of the virus and prevent it from entering cells. Last May, the US Food and Drug Administration granted emergency use authorization for an anti-Covid-19 drug produced by GlaxoSmithKline, in cooperation with the Vir Biotechnology Company. The administration said in a statement that sotrovimab, an experimental monoclonal antibody treatment, has been authorized to treat COVID-19 in mild to moderate cases, in adults and children 12 years of age and older, as well as at risk of developing an infection severe. The two companies said in a separate statement that the treatment would be available to appropriate patients in the United States in the coming weeks, and added that they planned to apply for full approval for the treatment during the second half of 2021.  GlaxoSmithKline and Fair indicated that the drug has been shown to reduce the risk of hospitalization or death in adults at high risk, by 85 percent, after a trial of 868 patients. Monoclonal antibodies are proteins made in a laboratory that mimic the immune systems ability to fight viruses. Former US President Donald Trump praised research monoclonal antibodies made by the pharmaceutical company Regeneron, which he was treated with when he contracted Covid-19 late last year, and the US Food and Drug Administration allowed this treatment in late November. And the American authority has also previously approved another antibody treatment, produced by Eli Lilly.