New COVID-19 antibody enters clinical testing

The antibody against the SARS-CoV-2 virus developed by the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB) will now be tested on people. The IRB is affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana (USI). The antibody developed at the IRB “has brilliantly passed” all laboratory tests against all known variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as IRB Group leader Luca Varani explained in a USI press release. The institutions reported on the discovery of this antibody in January of this year.

This antibody differs from all others currently available because it is bispecific, which in effect means it is two antibodies combined into a single molecule. The press release explains that it prevents both the formation of new variants and the virus from changing its structure to evade therapy.

“It is very exciting to see an antibody developed by our research groups here in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland moving towards the clinical phase,” commented Varani, adding “even more so as we have managed to do so without the financial resources typically available at large pharmaceutical companies”. The road is still long and winding, “but we have managed to get the ball rolling”.

According to Davide Robbiani, Director of the IRB, this project “shows how discoveries made in the laboratories in Bellinzona have the potential to be rapidly transformed into drugs”. The IRB is now working with clinical researchers at the Oncology Institute of Southern Switzerland (IOSI-EOC). This will ensure that clinical trials can also be carried out in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland, creating new synergies between organizations and institutions in the region.

The second-generation antibody was developed entirely with European public funds. The costs of the initial phase I clinical studies are also covered by a special EU grant of €2,5 million. mm