[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7388\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003EThe new antibody that may be able to stay \u2018one step ahead\u2019 of coronavirus mutations\u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EA virus is constantly mutating. Staying ahead of the evolutionary game is key in the fight against an infectious virus \u2013 especially one like the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus, which has its genetic material encoded in RNA rather than the more stable DNA. Even the smallest change in its surface spike proteins can make it unrecognisable to the host\u2019s immune system, meaning a drug that\u2019s effective on the original virus may have little impact on its successors. That\u2019s why researchers are working against the clock to develop treatments and vaccines to tackle troublesome variants of the coronavirus, of which there are currently \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/interactive\/2021\/health\/coronavirus-variant-tracker.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethree of concern\u003C\/a\u003E, with more likely to come.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EMany groups are putting their money on antibody cocktails to treat the symptoms of a Covid-19 infection. \u2018The idea is that one antibody in the cocktail will bind to a particular spike protein on the virus and another antibody will bind to another,\u2019 said Professor Qiang Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m from Sweden\u2019s Karolinska\u0026nbsp;Institute. \u2018That way, the cocktail still works even when one of the spike proteins mutates.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe international project known as \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/101003650\u0022\u003EATAC\u003C\/a\u003E, however, is taking a radically different approach. Its researchers developed a single antibody that can mount a double attack on the coronavirus, rather than two antibodies working in tandem. The group\u2019s \u2018bispecific\u2019 antibody binds to two separate sites on the spike protein on the virus\u2019 surface, therefore remaining potent even if one of the two sites undergoes a significant mutation.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Experiments \u2013 both in-vitro and using animal models \u2013 show this antibody binds well to all variants of the virus,\u2019 said Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m, who is the coordinator of the ATAC consortium. \u2018Our two-in-one model seems to prevent the virus from escaping the immune response.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDouble attack\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELate last year, a two-antibody cocktail created by biotech company Regeneron brought hope for coronavirus patients \u2013 \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/news-events\/press-announcements\/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-monoclonal-antibodies-treatment-covid-19\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Estudies\u003C\/a\u003E showed it boosted the body\u2019s defence against Covid-19, reducing hospitalisations and deaths. It was authorised for \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.fda.gov\/news-events\/press-announcements\/coronavirus-covid-19-update-fda-authorizes-monoclonal-antibodies-treatment-covid-19\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eemergency use\u003C\/a\u003E in the US. In February, a second cocktail \u2013 this one produced by Eli Lilly \u2013 was given similar US approval, and shortly after, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.ema.europa.eu\/en\/news\/ema-issues-advice-use-antibody-combination-bamlanivimab-etesevimab\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eexpressed a positive opinion\u003C\/a\u003E of Lilly\u2019s cocktail. But less than a month on, new studies suggest the treatment is being outwitted by a constantly evolving virus, with new variants of the disease \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.biorxiv.org\/content\/10.1101\/2021.02.18.431897v1?rss=1\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eshowing resistance\u003C\/a\u003E to the monoclonal, or lab-made, antibodies.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018The coronavirus is mutating, and it will continue to mutate, so we need treatments that can keep up with these changes and work effectively on all variants of the virus,\u2019 said Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m. \u2018In other words, we need solutions that save lives now and also prepare us for the future.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThough bispecific antibodies, such as the one emerging from the ATAC consortium, are gaining popularity in the treatment of certain cancers (where one part of an antibody might bind to a tumour cell and the other to an immune cell), the ATAC researchers are the first to produce a bispecific antibody against SARS-CoV-2, according to Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This antibody means we can stay one step ahead of the virus,\u2019 said Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m.\u0026nbsp;A \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-021-03461-y\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Epaper describing their findings\u003C\/a\u003E has been published in the scientific journal \u003Cem\u003ENature\u003C\/em\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe ATAC antibody (CoV-X2) was constructed by the team from two potent monoclonal antibody candidates derived from humans, chosen from a shortlist of over 100 antibodies. It is now being prepared for Phase 1 clinical trials, during which it will be tested on healthy volunteers. The trials will take place in Italy, the locus of Europe\u2019s first brutal outbreak of Covid-19 and home to an ATAC partner. Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m is hopeful that these trials will have been launched by the summer, and that a new, variant-resistant antibody could be on the market within six to eight months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018We have some good vaccines for Covid and I\u2019m sure there will soon be vaccines for variants of the virus too, but infected patients are still getting very sick from this disease and they will continue to do so until we have some really good therapies available for them,\u2019 said Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m. \u2018Thus far, only two therapies have been found to work in large-scale randomised clinical trials \u2013 steroids (dexamethasone), which are used to reduce inflammation, and \u2026 medicine(s) used to treat for rheumatoid arthritis (drugs that block the interleukin-6 receptor), which is also immunomodulatory (modifies the response of the immune system).\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018This is very disappointing \u2013 we definitely need to find new drugs to treat this illness.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EShe added: \u2018We are confident that our antibody could be one of the treatments clinicians and patients have been waiting for.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018The coronavirus is mutating, and it will continue to mutate, so we need treatments that can keep up with these changes.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Qiang Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m, Karolinska Institute, Sweden\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EComplementary\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003ESince the onset of the pandemic, hundreds of projects have sprung up around the world to develop monoclonal antibodies to treat Covid-19 patients. These antibodies work in a similar way to vaccines, first recognising and then neutralising a virus, though they are regarded as complementary to, not replacements for, regular vaccines.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWhen a person receives a vaccination, their immune system is triggered into producing infection-fighting antibodies and it can take several weeks for immunity to set in. By contrast, monoclonal antibodies (generated from natural antibodies that have undergone modifications) enter the bloodstream through a drip and are ready for action straight away. But though these antibodies mimic the infection-fighting work of the immune system, they don\u2019t last forever \u2013 typically, a monoclonal antibody will stick around for a number of weeks or months.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Why do we need antibody therapies when there are now good vaccines against Covid? Because some people are immunocompromised and don\u2019t respond to a vaccine, plus of course it will take several years for the whole world to be vaccinated against Covid-19, so there will be an ongoing need for medicines that can temperately protect us or treat the disease,\u2019 explained Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe hope is to find an effective antibody treatment that can be mass produced and distributed at speed to hospitals around the world, though cost is a factor to be considered \u2013 antibodies are notoriously expensive to produce (to give an idea, the average annual price of monoclonal antibody cancer treatment in the US \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/29461857\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eexceeds \u20ac80,000 per person\u003C\/a\u003E). However, Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m says ATAC\u2019s double-whammy antibody goes some way to addressing this problem as a single antibody is a lot cheaper to produce than a cocktail of two, such as the ones created by Regeneron and Eli Lilly.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018I\u2019m not saying it will be half the cost, but it will be more cost effective,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EProfessor Luis Serrano from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) in Spain, who was involved in \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/alpacas-and-antibodies-how-scientists-hope-stop-coronavirus-its-tracks.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003ECovid-19-related research\u003C\/a\u003E nearer the start of the pandemic but is not involved in ATAC, welcomes research into bispecific antibodies but stresses the importance of \u2018very, very high affinity\u2019 between the antibody and both sites. \u2018Otherwise non-binding to one site could result in the antibody binding weakly to the other, and not being effective,\u2019 he said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EModels\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBeing prepared for the next pandemic \u2013 or for a catastrophic twist to the current one \u2013 through large-scale international collaborations is a major theme in today\u2019s research community.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018It\u2019s difficult to make predictions on whether a more dangerous variant will emerge in the future, but we can prepare for it,\u2019 said Prof. Pan-Hammarstr\u00f6m. She is among those calling for greater links between scientists and industry, where researchers are invited to float and test new ideas, and banks of antibodies are established well in advance of a new infection taking root.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018If we can prove the concept of our bispecific antibody, we can use computer and animal models to predict what a virus might do next, and to come up with solutions before there\u2019s an actual problem,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u2018Our consortium is already starting to work on this idea with scientists from around the world, including China. They have identified sequences for viruses from animals that don\u2019t yet infect humans, but one day might mutate and do just that. We could prepare ourselves by making antibodies against these viruses already now. We could create a pool of antibodies to dip into the moment a new infection emerges. We could stop the next pandemic before a single person has died.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThe research in this article was funded by the EU. 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