In this Friday, March 13, 2020 photo provided by Regneron, members of the Infectious Disease team celebrate at their lab in New York state after confirming cells from Singapore are viable and that some make antibodies that bind to the coronavirus, suggesting they may have the potential to block it.
The drugs, administered by IV, are being tested to prevent infection in people at high risk of it who can’t yet get a vaccine, such as housemates of COVID-19 patients. They’re also being tried as a treatment soon after infection to avoid serious illness. “We were essentially calling people from all over the globe” — China, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Europe — with no luck, she said.
“It was exciting” yet terrifying, Lye said. “I was concerned whether a flight delay or any mistake along the way would render the samples useless.” Scientists first screen the B cells by mixing them with part of the spiky protein that covers the virus and sorting out cells with antibodies that connect. Next, researchers decode the genetic recipes for each antibody. The genes are put into a type of hamster cell widely used in the drug industry because they grow very rapidly and churn out the chosen antibody like mini-biofactories.
“I’m getting maybe 1- and 2,000 green spots in each well,” then some hit 10 and a few hit two, she said. When they saw some zeroes, Yancopoulos ordered the champagne. “There was a huge sense of relief because you’ve selected the best antibodies ... but it was very, very stressful because you can’t go back,” Kyratsous said. “These are the ones that are going to go into production.”