First antibody trial has launched in Covid-19 patients.

Thanks to a remarkable feat of natural molecular engineering that allows our bodies to generate countless different kinds of antibodies against pathogens, COVID-19 survivors typically have scads of SARS-CoV-2–specific antibodies cruising through their bloodstreams. Only a few of those antibodies stick to the virus at the right spot, blocking a protein the virus needs to break into cells, while other antibodies bind to it without stopping infection. By the time a human body has generated these diverse antibodies in sufficient quantities, the original infection is usually nearly over, but the antibodies remain, leaving the immune system braced for a second infection.

For the past few months, scientists have been eager to find the most effective antibodies the human body produces and turn them into drugs. In contrast to convalescent plasma therapies—whereby a hodgepodge of antibodies from recovered patients is given to people battling COVID-19—such “monoclonal antibody” treatments would be standardized, manufactured at scale, and potentially more effective. The treatments could be given to people in the early stages of COVID-19, or used prophylactically to give instant, short-term immunity to vulnerable people such as healthcare workers or those in which vaccines may be ineffective. Technological advances have allowed scientists to find promising antibodies at a record pace. Just this week (June 1), the pharma giant Eli Lilly announced the launch of the world’s first human safety trial with a monoclonal antibody against SARS-CoV-2.