On the 2nd, the reporter learned from Chongqing Medical University that the university’s immune research center team successfully established a rapid antibody screening technology platform and obtained a new human monoclonal antibody of coronavirus, which laid the foundation for further screening of neutralizing antibodies to new coronavirus.
Since the outbreak of the new crown virus, it has shown a trend of spread worldwide. No specific drugs are currently available. A large number of specific antibodies with antiviral ability are produced in patients recovering from infection with neo-coronary pneumonia, which can control the virus to alleviate symptoms and even achieve healing. Therefore, for extremely severe patients, the use of plasma therapy in the recovery period can alleviate the disease and reduce the mortality rate. However, the plasma source of patients during recovery period is limited, which cannot meet the needs of prevention and treatment. The use of peripheral blood memory B cells in the recovery period of patients can obtain neutralizing antibodies, which can be used to prevent medical staff, patients with contact history, or young and old with low immune function. At the same time, neutralizing antibody drugs can treat severe patients with new coronary pneumonia.
Chongqing Medical University’s Immunology Research Center quickly launched an emergency project for the development of a new crown virus antibody led by Professor Jin Aishun. Jin Aishun is the director of the Department of Pathogenic Microbiology and Immunology at the School of Basic Medical Sciences of the university. He has been committed to the research of human monoclonal antibody drugs for a long time. He has successfully developed fully human monoclonal antibody technology, and successfully developed fully human monoclonal antibodies against infectious diseases such as influenza virus and hepatitis B surface antigen, as well as tumor-specific antigens.
In mid-March, Jin Aishun’s team collected and processed peripheral blood samples of patients with neocoronary pneumonia recovery period with the strong support of the Infectious Diseases Department of the Affiliated Yongchuan Hospital and the Laboratory of the Third Affiliated Hospital. Based on previous research, the team quickly and successfully established the use of only a small amount of peripheral blood to isolate lymphocytes, activate memory B cells in vitro to differentiate plasma cells, analyze and sort plasma cells, and obtain antibodies in only 10 days. Genes, as well as antibody gene cloning and expression, and a series of rapid screening research and development technology for antibodies, and successfully obtained a number of new human monoclonal antibodies against coronavirus. This breakthrough provides a key core technology platform for further screening of new crown virus neutralizing antibodies.
Professor Jin Aishun said that they will further screen for new crown virus neutralizing antibodies to lay the foundation for the development of antibody drugs. At the same time, the establishment of this rapid antibody technology platform will also provide a technical platform for future emergency diagnosis and prevention of public health emergencies such as new infectious diseases.