Trial and Success

Before SARS-CoV-2, responsible for COVID-19, two related coronaviruses previously triggered smaller-scale epidemics: SARS-CoV, emerging with a major outbreak in Asia in 2003, and MERS-CoV, identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012. Thought to have moved into humans from camels, MERS-CoV (pictured, coloured green, on camel cells) causes a respiratory disease known as Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome, and is still present in the region. No vaccines or treatments currently exist, but researchers are developing therapies based on man-made monoclonal antibodies targeting the MERS-CoV spike protein, necessary for infecting host cells. In mice, treatment with a combination of these antibodies, either before or after infection with MERS-CoV, leads to lower virus levels and reduced symptoms in the lungs, demonstrating both preventative and therapeutic benefits. Meanwhile, early trials with human volunteers suggest the antibodies are safe to use, paving the way for further trials, and encouraging the development of similar therapies for other coronaviruses.

Written by Emmanuelle Briolat

Emmanuelle Briolat

Writer

A researcher specialising in visual signals in Lepidoptera, camouflage and the effects of light pollution, Emmanuelle’s writing covers a range of topics, from biomedical research to children’s books about moth defences.

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• Image by NIAID and Colorado State University
• Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc, Tarrytown, New York, USA
• Image copyright held by NIAID and Colorado State University
• Research published in The Journal of Infectious Diseases, January 2021