San Diego-based biotechnology company Sorrento Therapeutics says it’s found an antibody that can stop the coronavirus from infecting human cells. Scientists there say the antibody can neutralize 100% of the virus in a lab setting.
Mark Brunswick, who heads regulatory affairs for the company, says this antibody could lead to a cure.
"Our drug has been shown at least in vitro to neutralize 100% of the virus at least in culture. If that works out in patients, they have no infectious virus left," Brunswick said.
The company isn’t the first to find neutralizing antibodies, but Brunswick says this one is the first to be 100% effective.
"If you've neutralized 100% there's no reason scientifically to not expect that in man. We would not expect any adverse effects with this drug, because our antibody only binds with the virus, not with any other naturally occurring structure in a person," Brunswick said.
However, the company hasn’t tested the therapy in animal or human clinical trials yet. The research also isn't peer-reviewed. So while it’s promising, Sumit Chanda, a virologist at Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute said more data is necessary.
"It would be premature to proclaim anything as a cure for coronavirus. It's going to be incremental steps. And I think each one of these strategies will add to what will be ultimately something that's potentially curative," Chanda said.
"And so I think that this is an important shot on goal. We need multiple different strategies to corral the virus. But one of the things that is important and critical to remember is that just corralling the virus, while necessary, may not be sufficient, especially in the more severe cases to control disease," Chanda said.
Henry Ji, CEO of the Sorrento Therapeutics, agrees the discovery is important because multiple therapies are necessary to target the virus.
"Potentially you can form a cocktail, putting one or two or three antibodies together. So you wont have a mutation rendering any one antibody treatment ineffective," Ji said.
He said sometimes the body develops a resistance against antibodies, as well.
"You may have multiple neutralizing antibodies coming in ... they all do the neutralizing activity, but you want options," he said. "The more the merrier when we are all working together to end COVID-19."
