Coronavirus Antibody Treatments Might Prevent COVID-19

But how exactly do the antibody therapies work?

According to Larisa Labzin, an immunologist at the University of Queensland (Australia) our body’s immune system releases antibodies that attach to foreign invaders, identify the virus and start to fight it.

“When our immune system responds to an infection like a virus, one of the things it does is makes loads of antibodies, and each of those antibodies is produced by a different antibody-producing cell,” Dr. Labzin said.

She also added that a monoclonal antibody is the same antibody produced by one cell. However, it’s important to mention that not all types of antibodies are equal and work the same. There are antibody types that will work better at killing viruses like SARS-CoV-2 compared to others.

For example, antibody therapy is different from the convalescent plasma treatment, where they take plasma from a recovered patient and gives it to another coronavirus patient. Antibody therapy uses a more targeted approach.

“The idea with [monoclonal antibody therapy] is to find exactly which antibodies bind really well to the virus and are effective at blocking the virus. Researchers can isolate those [antibodies] and then manufacture them in the lab,” Dr. Labzin explained.

Unlike vaccines, antibody therapy aims to imitate the body’s natural defense to eliminate any unwanted guest.