American biotechnology company Regeneron Pharmaceuticals Inc. has announced its latest advance in developing a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) antibody program. The US drugmaker shared last March 17 that it has been able to identify hundreds of virus-neutralizing antibodies that could be used for the treatment of COVID-19.
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Regeneron scientists isolated hundreds of fully human antibodies from the company’s test mice subjects, which have been genetically-modified to have a human immune system. They also isolated antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients.
From this pool of antibodies, Regeneron will select the top two for a ‘cocktail’ treatment based on potency and binding ability. This novel multi-antibody cocktail should double as protection preceding exposure to the virus as well as treatment for those already infected.
Regeneron assures that they will be using technology that enables immediate clinical-scale production. They aim to start clinical testing by the beginning of summer.
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