Scientists have created an antibody to COVID-19 and SARS

Researchers at the University of Utrecht in the Netherlands have created an antibody to COVID-19 that was able to defeat the virus in the laboratory, reports Bloomberg.

The study took place at the University of Utrecht and involved German and Dutch scientists. They managed to synthesize a monoclonal antibody, that is, proteins similar to those produced by human immune cells. These antibodies target a specific weak spot in the pathogen—in this case, the crown-shaped protein that the virus uses to enter the human body.

The results of the experiment show that the 47D11 antibody is able to defeat not only coronavirus, but also a virus that has a similar corona protein - SARS (the virus that causes acute respiratory syndrome or SARS).

The achievements of scientists in the development of antibodies became known in mid-March, but on May 4, their article was published in the scientific peer-reviewed journal Nature Communications.

This is only the first stage in the search for a cure for coronavirus: the antibody will have to be tested on animals, and then on humans. But, if everything goes well, the antibody in the future will help prevent and treat coronavirus, both separately and as part of complex therapy. Antibodies of this type have already revolutionized the treatment of cancer, writes Bloomberg.