Researchers are currently trying to test monoclonal antibodies as a potential therapy for coronavirus. Timothy Albertson, Chair of Internal Medicine and specialist in pulmonary and intensive care medicine, is leading efforts to offer patients a new combination (REGN-COV2) Prevention and treatment of COVID-19 to administer. It is an adaptive, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study in phases I, II and III. The aim is to evaluate the efficacy and safety of REGN10933 + REGN10987 antibodies in adult patients with COVID-19 in hospitals.
Monoclonal antibodies in the fight against Sars-Cov-2
This research builds on encouraging results from a series of studies that show that REGN10933 and REGN10987 have a neutralizing effect. There is currently no approved treatment that specifically targets SARS-CoV-2. The spike proteins on the outer shell of corona viruses allow entry and binding to the host cells. They seem to be central to why SARS-CoV-2 is so contagious. Previous studies have shown that the viral infectivity of coronaviruses such as SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV has been reduced. This happened when neutralizing antibodies against spike protein were active. Thus, these blocked entry into the host cell.
There are currently several attempts to develop effective antibodies that target the spike protein. Researchers are developing and testing fully human, neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that target the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19. The pharmaceutical company Regeneron announced that it is entering the late stages of its human clinical trials. In these, researchers are investigating a drug used to treat and prevent COVID-19.
To this end, Regeneron developed the REGN-COV2 antibodies to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and to block its interaction with the receptor. The researchers expect this to neutralize the virus. The clinical trial will therefore test the safety, tolerability and efficacy of REGN-COV2 as a promising therapeutic strategy to reduce SARS-CoV-2 virus excretion and the progression of COVID-19 disease.
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