SEATTLE — It might be a breakthrough.
Researchers say that an antibody called S309, taken from a person who recovered from SARS 17 years ago, neutralized COVID-19 in a lab.
"We believe this is a significant finding," said David Veesler of the University of Washington School of Medicine, who is among the senior authors in a report published on Monday in the journal Nature.
Researchers are trying to find the best antibodies to attack COVID-19, so they can develop a treatment for people who are infected, or a preventive medicine for those who are high-risk.
Our bodies produce antibodies that bind onto and neutralize pathogens.
"To give the antibody to people before they're infected, for instance, health care workers," Veesler said.
Many scientists are looking for antibodies from COVID-19 patients.
Veesler's group is among the first to look for effective antibodies from a SARS patient infected in the 2002-03 outbreak, which is harder, because it's a different virus.
"It's really looking for a needle in a haystack," Veesler said.
And, they found it.
Now, Vir Biotechnology in California is fast-tracking the development and testing of therapies made with S309.
The next step is to try it on people, and there's hope because the antibody came from a person.
"It is very exciting," Veesler said.
One of the advantages of working with antibodies from SARS Co-V is that they are more mature than antibodies from the current virus, known as SARS Co-V2.