Monoclonal antibodies can help against almost all new strains of the new type of coronavirus, but they are very expensive
Artificial, off-the-shelf, monoclonal antibodies. What does all this mean?
These are all different notation for the same method.treatment. To understand how it works, you need to remember how common antibodies work, which are composed of a Y-shaped protein. Our immune system produces them independently. These antibodies then bind to antigens on the surface of the pathogens.
If we talk about monoclonal antibodies, they artificially repeat the process of normal antibodies and show the immune system where the virus is located that needs to be attacked.
Monoclonal antibodies precisely bind to antigen due to special antigen-binding sites that have high specificity for it.
Does this mean that such antibodies will help against any virus, even SARS-CoV-2?
In theory, yes. But in practice, it is very important in what way monoclonal antibodies are created and whether they have passed all clinical trials.
For example, the drug LY-CoV555, which was createdEli Lilly AbCellera was developed based on blood samples from a US patient who had recovered from COVID-19. Researchers used the man's successful immune response to create an antibody drug.
Also scientists from the American company SorrentoTherapeutics examined billions of different antibodies and selected several hundred of the most effective ones that bind to the coronavirus spike protein to find an antibody that is 100% likely to suppress the virus. They found such a candidate, this is STI-1499. While the researchers were engaged in preclinical studies, information about the safety of their development has not been confirmed.
But the staff of the Institute of Molecular andCell Biology of the Siberian Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences created a set of panels of different monoclonal antibodies, which they received from human B cells - a functional type of lymphocytes that play an important role in providing humoral immunity. During the work, the authors used patients who were already on the mend. This is the first such Russian study; now the development of scientists is undergoing preclinical trials.
We can conclude that these methods are quite labor-intensive and not all of them, by analogy with vaccines, will be allowed for mass use.
Will such antibodies help against different strains?
This cannot be guaranteed 100%.But, according to a study by biologists led by a professor at Washington University in St. Louis, some monoclonal antibodies remain effective. The authors of the work decided to test how different monoclonal antibodies would cope with new strains of coronavirus.
They conducted experiments on mice that were infected with strains from South Africa, Great Britain, India, Brazil and the United States. The authors used both one drug and their combinations to enhance the effect.
The results revealed that almost all combinations of these drugs protected mice from infection with SARS-CoV-2, and single use was mostly effective against the virus.
But it turned out that two types of antibodies - 2B04 / 47D11 and LY-CoV555 - did not prevent the penetration of all new strains of coronavirus into the cells of the brain and nasopharynx.
Is such a method of treatment being developed in Russia?
Yes, as we already mentioned in the part about methodsobtaining monoclonal antibodies, preclinical studies of neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 have started in Russia. According to the developers, they created a combination of antibodies that was effective even against new strains of the virus.
The researchers said the first phase of preclinical testing should be completed by December 2022.
What is the problem with monoclonal antibodies?
This method of treatment has one serious drawback - its cost. The annual cost of monoclonal antibody treatment for a person with cancer in America is approximately $143,000.
For other diseases the situation is similar,Therefore, due to the high cost, this method of treatment is not suitable for everyone. According to a Wellcome Trust report, 99% of deaths from childhood pneumonia caused by respiratory syncytial virus occur in low- and middle-income countries. But 99% of sales of the drug Synagis, which is aimed at preventing this virus using monoclonal antibodies, are concentrated in Europe and the USA.
Monoclonal antibodies are a good boost for a weakened immune system, but they are not a replacement for vaccinations or a panacea for protective equipment.
In addition, this method of treatment must passno less checks than a real vaccine, so in any case, you will have to wait for official publications in international journals, as well as for the passage of all stages of clinical trials.
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