SARS antibody found

Main Category: Flu / Cold / SARS
Article Date: 03 Feb 2004 - 0:00 PDT

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Researchers have identified a human antibody which blocks infection by the SARS virus.

The researchers are from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (Boston, USA).

This could mean that we could be a year away from testing new treatment for SARS on humans within a year.

After a fantastic run of breakthroughs, isolating the 80R antibody (a protein in the blood that fights of viruses and bacteria) is potentially the biggest breakthrough yet.

Researchers around the world have completed SARS' genetic blueprint and identified potential ways to treat it. This has been done in less than a year.

Dr. Wayne Marasco (Team Leader) said 'This is really a proof of principle for responding to emerging infectious diseases. If the international community works together, it can make a serious dent in the [amount of] time it takes to develop protective treatments against these threats.'

Dr. Marasco and his team identified 80R by systematically scanning their 27-billion antibody library. They looked for antibodies that specifically targeted SARS (chemically bonding with them and stopping them from entering healthy cells).

They have already started animal testing (of the effectiveness of 80R). Dr. Marasco estimates that within a year he and his team will know whether 80R will work as a vaccine or an after-the-fact treatment. Then human tests would begin.

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