Anti SARS-CoV-2 Antibody Neutralized Coronavirus Infectivity

A San Diego based biopharmaceutical company announced that its anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, STI-1499, demonstrated 100 percent inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in an in vitro virus infection experiment, at a very low antibody concentration.

STI-1499 completely neutralized the coronavirus infectivity in pre-clinical tests, at a very low antibody dose, making it a prime candidate for further testing and development. 

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc. said in a statement published on May 15, 2020, ‘it aims to generate an antibody cocktail product that would act as a "protective shield" against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and remain effective even if virus mutations render a single antibody therapy less effective over time.’

Sorrento's existing manufacturing facility in San Diego is expected to be able to produce up to 2-hundred thousand doses per month and the Company intends to produce 1 million doses at risk while seeking approval for any STI-1499 product candidate. 

Furthermore, Sorrento commented it has been diligently screening billions of antibodies in its proprietary G-MAB™ fully human antibody library and has so far identified hundreds of antibody candidates that bind the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. 

Approximately 12 of these antibodies have demonstrated the ability to block the S1 protein's interaction with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor used for viral entrance into human cells. 

These blocking antibodies were further tested for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 virus infection model pursuant to a preclinical testing agreement for COVID-19 therapeutic candidates that were previously announced on March 31, 2020.

Among the antibodies showing neutralizing activity, 1 antibody stood out for its ability to completely block SARS-CoV-2 infection of healthy cells in the experiments.

Initial biochemical and biophysical analyses also indicate STI-1499 is a potentially strong antibody drug candidate.

Sorrento has determined STI-1499 will likely be the first antibody in the antibody cocktail, COVI-SHIELD™ it is developing, as recently announced. 

STI-1499 is also expected to be developed as a stand-alone therapy, COVI-GUARD™, because of the high potency it has exhibited in experiments to date. 

Sorrento plans to request priority evaluation and accelerated review from regulators to determine the best pathway to make any potential treatment available as soon as possible.

Sorrento is a clinical-stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to turn malignant cancers into manageable and possibly curable diseases.

SARS-COV-2 treatment news published by Precision Vaccinations.