Treatments

Therapeutic antibodies seem to be an effective means of protection against and treatment of COVID-19. It is preferable to administer a combination of 2 antibodies targeting different regions of the virus, in order to enhance effectiveness and prevent viral variants that can evade treatment in the patient. However, formulating a “cocktail” of 2 antibodies is […]

The mortality rate from COVID-19 is about 2%. But today there is no really effective treatment that is specific to infections from a coronavirus. Remdesivir is the principal treatment used to shorten recovery times. However, it is does not work well in severe cases and needs to be administered intravenously.  What about other treatment options? […]

Infection by SARS-CoV-2 causes heart damage or abnormalities in 20 to 30% of hospitalized patients and increases the risk of death in those with a history of heart disease. Unfortunately, we do not know enough about how this comes about. Amongst possible explanations, we know that some pro-inflammatory cytokines such as the TNF (Tumor Necrosis […]

A recent study attempted to identify the most effective antibodies in order to meet needs for urgent treatment options in the face of the proliferation of variants. As well as the human cost of the COVID-19 crisis (more than 2 million lives lost) the economic impact has been considerable. According to one estimation, it may […]

SARS-CoV-2 is the virus responsible for COVID-19, which has caused a pandemic within several months of appearing. In order to develop effective drug therapies, it is necessary to understand the virus’ cycle, the mechanisms of cell infection, and to characterize the immune response. To study this latter, it is essential to have models for in […]

SARS-CoV-2 is a virus that has a single strand RNA genome of 30,000 bases. After the entry of the viral particle into the host cell, its genome is replicated, so as to be encapsidated in new viral particles, and in addition, to be translated into proteins in order to form new virions. Viral RNA is […]

At the moment only Dexamethasone (immunosuppressant) and Remdesivir (antiviral) have proved to be clinically effective against COVID-19, and then only in certain conditions. The passive transfer of neutralizing antibodies (taken from convalescing patients) is an interesting alternative since it can be used as a preventative measure as well as in treatment. This approach has proved […]

Amongst the treatments used against COVID-19 are those using therapeutic antibodies. Similar methods used against other viruses have proved ineffective due to mutations in the regions targeted by the antibodies. These mutations may have been caused by selective pressure in a patient during treatment or in an individual infected by a variant which has emerged […]

Although vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 do exist, they cannot fully protect immunocompromised patients for example. Other prophylaxes or therapeutics need to be developed for high-risk patients. Therapeutic neutralizing antibodies may provide an alternative. However, they are complicated and costly to produce. In addition, these “conventional” antibodies may, in certain cases, facilitate infection as previously described for […]

2 vaccines and 2 treatments based on antibodies have been authorised in the United States against COVID-19. However, the question remains as to whether they will be effective against new variants of the virus. In addition, epidemics are recurrent, and there are numerous coronaviruses active in the animal reservoir which may, like SARS-CoV-2, cross the […]