Antibodies protecting against COVID-19 found in blood of patients recovered from virus

Scientists at the Scripps Research Institute in the US found antibodies that provide protection against coronavirus in the blood of patients who recovered from COVID-19, Science reported.

According to lenta.ru, scientists took blood samples from people with mild and severe forms of the disease.

During the experiment, they used test cells synthesizing the ACE2 receptor, which the virus interacts with before entering the cell. The aim of the study was to check whether antibody-containing blood can bind to the virus and block the infection process.

Scientists have managed to isolate more than 1,000 different immune cells called B cells and produce antibodies. Each of them synthesized a separate type of antibody against SARS-CoV-2. By establishing a sequence of genes encoding antibodies, scientists were able to synthesize them in the lab. And the screening results showed that some antibodies, even in small amounts, could effectively block the coronavirus, preventing its entry into test cells.

According to scientists, if further safety tests on animals and clinical trials involving humans are successful, such antibodies can be used as a treatment for COVID-19 infection in January next year.