Researchers in the U.S. have shown both preventive and treatment effects of an antibody cocktail in animal models of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) – the agent that causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
A combination of two monoclonal antibodies significantly reduced airway viral load and virus-induced pathology in models of both mild and severe disease.
Christos Kyratsous and colleagues from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, New York, had previously identified that a combination of the antibodies REGN10933 and REGN10987, which targets the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein, potently neutralizes the virus in vitro. The spike protein is the main surface structure the virus uses to bind to human host cell membranes and gain viral entry. The research is published on the preprint server bioRxiv* in August 2020.
Now, teaming up with collaborators at Texas Biomedical Research Institute in San Antonio and BIOQUAL in Rockville, Maryland, the researchers have demonstrated the efficacy of the antibody cocktail in two animal models: the rhesus macaque and the golden hamster.
The authors say their findings provide evidence that this REGN-CoV-2 therapy, which is currently being tested in clinical trials of COVID-19, may provide significant clinical benefit in both the prevention and treatment setting.
Source
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20200804/Regeneron-antibody-cocktail-shows-promise-as-potential-COVID-19-treatment.aspx