Antibody That Blocks COVID-19 Virus Found In Experiments

US-based Sorrento Therapeutics, through its laboratory experiments has found out an antibody that has demonstrated its ability to completely block SARS-CoV-2 infection of healthy cells.

Experimental results showed that an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, STI-1499, completely neutralised the virus infectivity at a very low antibody dose. This has made it possible to be used for further experiments and tests.

“Our STI-1499 antibody shows exceptional therapeutic potential and could potentially save lives following receipt of necessary regulatory approvals,” Henry Ji, Chairman and CEO of Sorrento, said in a statement.

The company screened billions of antibodies and has so far identified hundreds of antibody candidates that bind the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein.

Sorrento aims to develop the antibody cocktail - (COVI-SHIELD) and it believes that STI-1499 will likely be the first antibody in this experiment, which stood out for its ability to completely block SARS-CoV-2 infection of healthy cells in the experiments.