Researchers find COVID-19 antibody protective against variants

By attaching to a part of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that varies little from variant to variant, a COVID-19 antibody identified by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) in St. Louis could help in the development of antibody-based therapies that are less likely to lose their potency as the SARS-CoV-2 virus mutates. “This antibody is both highly neutralizing (meaning it works very well at low concentrations) and broadly neutralizing (meaning it works against all variants),” said senior author Michael S. Diamond, PhD, MD, professor of medicine at WUSM. The researchers’ findings are available in the journal Immunity. (WUSM news release, 8/20/21)