Potential Treatment Against All COVID Variants

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One of the trickier parts of stopping the spread of COVID-19 is handling variant strains. While a vaccine may be effective against known strains at the time of its release, new variants can come along and put vaccinated people back at risk.

Based on new research from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, however, a monoclonal antibody treatment may be effective against all strains of COVID.¹ The monoclonal antibody is identified as SC27, and researchers believe it may even be effective against future strains of the virus.

In a press release, lead researcher Dr. Greg Ippolito, PhD, said, “Other COVID-19 antibodies have been rendered ineffective as SARS-CoV-2 has evolved over the past several years. Our new study suggests the virus is less likely to escape this treatment because SC27 targets and attaches to multiple parts of the virus's spike protein, including sections that are not mutating as frequently."

Ippolito continued, “This is fantastic news that vaccines can prompt the generation of these more robust and effective antibodies. It means that future vaccine development can be tailored to generate these antibodies and have a clear metric for measuring which vaccines will be most effective."

Texas Biomed previously announced the possibility of a universal COVID antibody in May of this year.² At the time, Texas Biomed professor and co-lead author of the research Luis Martinez-Sobrido, PhD, said, “This antibody worked against the original SARS-CoV-2 strain, Omicron and SARS-CoV, providing strong evidence that this antibody will continue to work against future strains, especially if paired with other antibodies.”

Martinez-Sobrido continued, “A single antibody therapy is not going to work, so we may have to try something similar to therapies being developed for other diseases like Ebola and HIV whereby two or three antibodies are combined to target different regions of the virus.”

"We are also trying to design vaccines that would be able to induce these types of antibodies so we don't have to update vaccines regularly," he concluded.

James Kobie, PhD, associate professor at UAB and co-lead author of the paper, added, “The antibody binds to multiple positions within the receptor binding domain, which is thought to enable it to tolerate variations that occur in this domain as the virus continues to evolve.”

In April of this year, Texas Biomed announced that it was conducting research towards developing vaccines for the strains of avian influenza that are currently spreading in various parts of the world.³

In a press release issued at the time, Texas Biomed president and CEO Larry Schlesinger, MD, said, “Thankfully, the risk of the current H5N1 case becoming widespread among people remains low. But viruses adapt and evolve–especially influenza viruses–which is why it is so critical to be studying them and developing vaccines and treatments well before they are needed."

Martinez-Sobrido was also involved in this research. At the time, he commented, “The genetic sequencing analysis from the CDC indicates that the H5N1 strain found in the patient does not have any mutations associated with resistance to current antiviral drugs. However, it is important to continue developing an array of countermeasures in case existing ones lose effectiveness."

Sources

1. Monoclonal Antibody Shows Protection Against All COVID Variants. Texas Biomedical Research Institute. September 5, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/monoclonal-antibody-shows-protection-against-all-covid-variants-302239958.html
2. Researchers Take Step Toward Development of Universal COVID-19 Antibodies. Texas Biomedical Research Institute. May 30, 2024. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/researchers-take-step-toward-development-of-universal-covid-19-antibodies-302160013.html
3. Texas Biomed Researching Vaccines and Treatments for Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza. Texas Biomedical Research Institute. April 18, 2024. Accessed September 6, 2024. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/texas-biomed-researching-vaccines-and-treatments-for-highly-pathogenic-avian-influenza-302120203.html