Posted on 09/14/2020 6:22:55 AM PDT by cba123
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine scientists have isolated the smallest biological molecule to date that completely and specifically neutralizes the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which is the cause of COVID-19. This antibody component, which is 10 times smaller than a full-sized antibody, has been used to construct a drug — known as Ab8 — for potential use as a therapeutic and prophylactic against SARS-CoV-2.
The researchers report today (September 14, 2020) in the journal Cell that Ab8 is highly effective in preventing and treating SARS-CoV-2 infection in mice and hamsters. Its tiny size not only increases its potential for diffusion in tissues to better neutralize the virus, but also makes it possible to administer the drug by alternative routes, including inhalation. Importantly, it does not bind to human cells — a good sign that it won’t have negative side-effects in people.
Ab8 was evaluated in conjunction with scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (UNC) and University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) at Galveston, as well as the University of British Columbia and University of Saskatchewan.
“Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections,” said co-author John Mellors, M.D., chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at UPMC and Pitt. “Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune.”
(Excerpt) Read more at scitechdaily.com ...
Seems rather significant.
25 years out after tests
YUGE!!!! : Think: Mouth Spray!
Oh. This seems remarkable. I hope human double blind studies are started soon.
Fascinating, and if this works, an absolute game changer!
Good news............for mice and hamsters.................
lol
This is just more “high tech” we’ve gleaned from the contents of crashed UFO’s at area 51. ;)
I wonder if this is the sort of thing that a virus rapidly mutates away from being affected by, even if it works at first.
And, then time to market is a big issue.
Without a double blind study this information is useless.
It’s science
IT talks about molecules and stuff.
Therefore, it must not be believed
I don’t know.
I just searched online, it appears this story is very, very new.
Like I found exactly one earlier story, like 15 minutes earlier.
Just the two stories, thus far, possibly?
Back in May there was an odd Murder-Suicide at Pitt involving a coronavirus researcher. Bing Liu was a University of Pittsburgh researcher was said to have been on the verge of making “significant findings” in his work.
Sounds like the murder-suicide didn’t stop the progress.
Tiny, eh? What if we shrunk down some aquanauts, injected them in a teeny, tiny submarine into the blood stream and let them duke it out with the virus? Sounds like a great albeit familiar script.
Already there are pill sized cameras that are swallowed and transmit images to a recorder via cable leads much like EKG wires. Next on deck will be multi-purpose virus killing nanobots...which for cinematic purposes could appear as nano-Transformers lead by Nano-Optimus Prime....;>)
In NANO Space you can't hear the Screams.
I didn’t expect you, or anyone for that matter, to know yet.
But I asked what I thought was a logical question before getting totall excited.
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