It’s a highly contagious disease for which we have no vaccine and little treatment.
Researchers from Tulane University in New Orleans, LA, have now developed an antibody that stops the virus from attaching to the ACE2 receptor, ultimately preventing infection.
In a paper on the preprint server
bioRxiv, the researchers say that healthcare professionals could use the antibody both before and after a person has had exposure to SARS-CoV-2. It could be especially beneficial for people who cannot receive a vaccine for health reasons.
In an effort to trick the virus, the researchers behind the study designed a “decoy” ACE2, which the virus recognizes in the same way it does the real thing. However, it is not attached to cells in the body.
This decoy protein intercepts to neutralize the virus before it can attach to ACE2 on cells and cause infection.
Although scientists
have used ACE2 in a soluble form before and it is safe in humans, it generally does not stay in the body for long and cannot reach the lining of the lungs — which is crucial for treating a respiratory virus.
To overcome these problems, the team attached ACE2 to the end of an antibody to increase its stability and transport in the body. They created four different antibodies, each with different mutations, to increase the ability of the drug to bind to the virus, its stability, and its half-life.
All of the antibodies worked against SARS-CoV-2, but one, called MDR504, was particularly effective. The virus bound more tightly to this particular antibody than it does to the natural ACE2 in the body.
This means that the antibody could effectively out compete the ACE2 expressed on bodily cells, preventing the virus from infecting them.
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/ar...d-prevent-and-treat-covid-19#A-decoy-receptor