(Vanessa Chalmers/ Daily Mail) — Experts discovered extremely strong antibodies which prevented hamsters getting severely unwell with the disease, when exposed to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.
Academics at Scripps Research, in San Diego, say the antibodies can be cloned in the lab and be mass-produced, if they are proven to fight the virus.
Antibodies are made by the immune system in response to an infection, helping the body to destroy the pathogen if exposed again in the future. Questions remain over whether Covid-19 survivors develop any immunity once they recover from the disease. But antibodies are a promising line of therapeutics because they can be developed much quicker than vaccines, offering a short-term solution.
Administered in doses — like a vaccine, scientists say antibodies could give humans the ability to avoid being struck down by the disease.
Antibodies made in the laboratory to mimic natural antibodies have been used in the treatment of a huge range of conditions, including arthritis, Crohn’s and Ebola. (…)