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Alice Yan

Snow Xia

An antibody found in a person who had severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) in 2003 could help the development of therapies to treat Covid-19, according to a new study by scientists in the United States.
Researchers from the University of Washington school of medicine in Seattle said that the antibody, which they call S309, showed a strong ability to bind to and disable the spike protein of Sars-CoV-2, the formal name for the coronavirus that causes Covid-19.
The spike protein is what the pathogen uses to bind to host cells before invading them.
“The spike glycoprotein is the building block in the virus that makes its entry into target cells and is also the main target of neutralising antibodies upon infection,” said David Veesler, an assistant professor of biochemistry at the school and one of the study’s lead authors.


The discovery could make it possible to use S309 on its own or as part of an “antibody cocktail” as a preventive measure for people at high risk of exposure to the virus or as a treatment for severe cases, the researchers said in a paper published on Monday in the scientific journal Nature.
However, they acknowledged that the study was only conducted in lab dishes and that much more research was needed to show whether S309 would be effective at counteracting the coronavirus in humans.
“We still need to show that this antibody is protective in living systems, which has not yet been done,” Veesler said.
The antibody was discovered in a person the team has been studying since 2004. They had earlier identified neutralising antibodies that defend against Sars.
“This is what allowed us to move so fast compared to other groups,” Vessler said.

According to a statement by the university, the antibody can attach to the spike protein of multiple strains of coronaviruses, not just those related to Sars and Covid-19.
“That is probably why this antibody, instead of being single-minded, is able to act against related coronaviruses,” it said, adding that it was now being fast-tracked for development and testing.
California-based Vir Biotechnology, which was also involved in the study, said that clinical testing of two drug candidates, which are genetically engineered versions of S309, were expected to begin this summer in collaboration with British pharmaceutical firm GlaxoSmithKline.
The study was also supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences and National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, both of which have their headquarters in Maryland.
Vessler said the race was on to develop a therapy for Covid-19.
“Right now we have no approved tools to fight against this virus, there are no vaccines,” he said.
“Multiple vaccines are being developed but none have been licensed and approved. We have no licensed therapeutics either, [so] this might be one of the first to become available.”



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‘S309’ shown to have a strong ability to bind to and disable the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein, researchers at University of Washington School of Medicine say
Clinical trials of two drug candidates, which are genetically engineered versions of S309, expected to begin this summer



‘S309’ shown to have a strong ability to bind to and disable the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein, researchers at University of Washington School of Medicine say.
