A monoclonal antibody "cocktail" developed at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre (VUMC) in the US to neutralize the Covid-19 virus is effective against all known strains, or variants, of the virus, including those detected in the UK and Brazil, said a new study.

Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-produced molecules engineered to serve as substitute antibodies, according to the Mayo Clinic.

In new cell-culture studies, researchers determined the ability of monoclonal antibodies as well as antibodies isolated from the "convalescent plasma" of previously infected people to neutralize highly transmissible variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus that have arisen in the UK, South Africa, Brazil and elsewhere.

In general, most of the monoclonal antibodies that have been developed to combat Covid-19 showed "diminished neutralizing potency."

The study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, indicated substantially reduced neutralization of variants viruses containing this E484K mutation by antibodies in the sera of both previously infected and Covid-19 vaccinated individuals.

"This study highlights the importance of rationally designed antibody cocktails like those we developed," said James Crowe, Director of the Vanderbilt Vaccine Center (VVC).

"Fortunately, this work and several other papers recently published show that the protection mediated by the antibodies we discovered that are now in six different phase 3 clinical trials should extend to all current variants of concern."

(This story was published from a syndicated feed. Only the headline and picture has been edited by FIT).