SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - A team led by Scripps Research has yielded positive results in a new research study involving antibodies.
Researchers say they've worked to isolate the most potent antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients. The study was published in "Science."
Dennis Burton, the study's co-author, says once they identified the most potent antibodies, they cloned them.
"You clone the really good ones, and then you make lots and lots of them in production facilities and then use as a standard to protect and-or treat Covid-19," Burton said.
They've tested the cloned antibodies, or monoclonal antibodies, on animals, and they've yielded positive results. They hope to conduct human testing early next year.
When asked if it is similar to antibody treatments from convalescent plasma donations, Burton says what they're making is more efficient and can be produced for masses.
He says the monoclonal antibodies could be used as a preventive measure given to uninfected but at-risk people before a vaccine is available, and could even be useful for people that may not respond well to a vaccine.
He also says the monoclonal antibodies could be used to design better vaccines by giving researchers a better idea of which antibodies are most effective.