Monoclonal antibody (mAbs)
According to a clinical trial carried out by a team from University of
Science and Technology of China, a mAbs termed Tocilizumab had proven
efficient in treating the SARS-CoV-2’s patients.(Hefei, 2020) As
reported, Tocilizumab together with conventional treatment, by blocking
the inflammatory storm, could prevent patients from transitioning to
severe and critical illness, thereby reducing the mortality rate. In
phase I of the clinical trial with 14 participant patients, after
treated with the new treatment regimen of ”Tocilizumab + conventional
treatment”, the body temperature of all 11 patients with fever symptom
returned to normal (14 participant patients in total, 11 with fever);
the respiratory oxygenation index improved in vary degrees; 4 patients
had displayed a better absorption of CT lesions within their
lungs.(Hefei, 2020)
A team from the Fudan University had successfully obtained the first
case of human-originated antibody of the novel virus. The team isolated
single B cells from samples of
convalescent patients of the novel
coronavirus, cloned the variable region of the antibody by PCR, and
quickly obtained and screened hundreds of human antibodies strains. They
found that many of them can recognize the RBD antigen of SARS-CoV-2.
(BioArt, 2020) This research provides candidate antibodies for the
development of human Neutralization Antibody Test. Also, a company
called Vir Biotechnology is currently working on anti-coronavirus
monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that bind and neutralize the
SARS-CoV-2.(Biotechnology, 2020)