The Italian agency ANSA reported that the first specialized drug has been developed that attacks the Corona virus, a monoclonal antibody that specializes in identifying the protein the virus uses to attack respiratory cells.
The Italian agency said that the research was published on the “BioRxiv” website by a team at the University of Utrecht, led by researcher Shonian Wang.
It will take months before the medicine becomes available because it will have to be tested for safety and efficacy answers, the researchers told the BBC.
The research indicated that by binding to the protein “Spike”, which is located on the surface of the Corona virus, it prevents the monoclonal antibody from binding cells, and in this way makes it impossible to penetrate the virus inside it to reproduce.
For this reason, he added, researchers are convinced that antibodies have important potential for “treatment and prevention of COFED-19“.
The Italian agency explained that the researchers were already working on an antibody to “Sars” when the “Covid-19” or “Sars2” epidemic exploded, and they realized that effective antibodies against the first disease could prevent the second as well.
The researchers confirmed that studies are still underway, and that the antibody must undergo very strict tests.
The researchers hope to persuade a drug company to manufacture it, saying it will cost them much less time to develop a vaccine against the emerging virus.
Source: Italian agency ANSA
