Researchers at Boston Children's Hospital and Duke University have discovered an antibody SP1-77, that neutralizes all known COVID-19 variants.
The SP1-77 antibody was tested on mice in a paper published in Science, and was able to neutralize Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and all Omicron strains of COVID-19.
To become infected by COVID, the SARS-CoV-2 has to first attach to ACE2 receptors in your cells.
Current COVID-19 vaccines prevent this binding from happening by attaching to the spike protein's receptor-binding domain (RBD) at certain spots.
The SP1-77 antibody instead blocks the virus from fusing its outer membrane with the membrane of your cells, which is also required to infect a person.
"This is very early-stage proof-of-concept work to illustrate that broadly neutralizing antibodies can be generated using a mouse model."
- Amesh A. Adalja, M.D., Infectious Disease Expert and Senior Scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.
The researchers have applied for a patent for the antibody and mouse model, if all goes well then they plan to develop something for the general public.
