Giuliano J. de Leon, Tech Times

Healthy experts are not giving up on developing effective COVID-19 vaccine. Just recently, health experts found out that antibodies used to treat cancer, rabies, Ebola, and some forms of hepatitis, can be a bridge in developing a vaccine for coronavirus, NBC News reported.

Gigi Gronvall, a senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, claimed, "Monoclonals offer a great bridge to a vaccine." 

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Most of the medical experts and researchers aim to create a vaccine that would teach the immune system to develop a defense mechanism to fight off the invading virus on its own. One of the cures that may help in creating the COVID-19 vaccine is the Monoclonal antibody. This drug enhances the immune system's ability even more since it provides an immediate, but a short-lived boost to fight off the virus  

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Eli Lilly, Regeneron, and other drugmakers are currently developing monoclonal antibodies. Regeneron and Eli Lilly both started their clinical trials for the drug in early June, and it is expected that the results would be released in the coming weeks.

How do monoclonal antibodies work?

The report explained that antibodies are produced by the person's immune system when a germ, such as a coronavirus, infects the human body. These proteins can identify the virus if it penetrates the human body again and fights it off.

Different types of antibodies are being used to treat other health issues such as rabies, Ebola, cancer, and some kinds of hepatitis. Many scientists and researchers across the globe are hoping that the novel coronavirus will soon be included in the list of treatable diseases.

The convalescent plasma is antibody-rich blood, which is acquired from the previously coronavirus-infected individuals. To boost the patients' immune system, the donated plasma is infused in their bodies. However, this type of antibody relies on the altruism of blood donors, which is currently one of the issues since blood donations are not recommended during the ongoing pandemic.

"We need drugs that prevent hospitalization," said the head of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, Dr. Anthony Fauci, during an interview with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerburg on Thursday, July 16.

On the other hand, monoclonal antibodies are artificial since they are created in a laboratory or medical facility. Although it is artificial, it can mimic the natural antibodies developed by the body's immune system.

"Monoclonals are a refinement of the convalescent plasma process, mass producing it as a purified form," said Gigi Gronvall.

She claimed that all the antibodies that fight the coronavirus, including other pathogens, are contained by the convalescent plasma. However, scientists can identify antibodies for a particular type of bacteria or virus, and mass-produce them in a lab.

An infectious disease specialist at the University of California, San Francisco, Dr. Peter Chin-Hong, claimed that the monoclonal antibodies are the "best of the best." 

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Tags: COVID-19 Update Drug Bridge Vaccine Monoclonal Antibodies
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