Candidates: Antibody-based treatments to protect people exposed to COVID-19.
Category: ANTIBODY
Types: To be identified. Researchers plan to rapidly isolate B cells producing antibodies targeting specific viral proteins. The monoclonal antibodies will be studied to find those capable of neutralizing SARS-CoV-2.
Status: VUMC said March 23 its Vanderbilt Vaccine Center (VVC) is building a comprehensive “toolkit” designed to identify and analyze antibodies isolated from the blood of survivors for their ability to neutralize SARS-CoV-2. With corporate, academic, and government partners, VVC is analyzing the antibodies based on their ability to inhibit the virus, with plans to develop and manufacture the most promising lead antibodies and advance them into clinical study. “Our goal is to prepare antibodies for human clinical trials by this summer,” VVC director James Crowe, MD, stated.
VUMC said it working with numerous providers of tools, technology, and services, including Berkeley Lights (“Beacon” cell selection platform), STEMCELL Technologies (custom cell-type specific isolation reagents), Twist Biosciences (rapid silicon-based DNA synthesis of antibody gene sequences), and 10x Genomics (Chromium Single Cell Immune Profiling Solution).
COVID-19: 200 Candidates and Counting
To navigate through the >200 potential therapeutic and vaccine options for COVID-19, GEN has grouped the candidates into four broad categories based on their developmental and (where applicable) clinical progress:
● FRONT RUNNER – the most promising therapeutics/vaccines based on clinical progress, favorable data or both.
● DEFINITELY MAYBE – earlier phases with promising partners, or more advanced candidates in development that have generated uneven data
● KEEPING AN EYE ON… – interesting technology, attracting notable partners, or both, but preliminary data.
● TOO SOON TO TELL – longshots pending additional experimental and/or clinical data.
GEN has also tagged the most common treatment types:
● ANTIVIRAL
● VAX
● ANTIBODY
● RNA
