Antibodies produced for drug to be developed against coronavirus

Within the scope of the "Development of Broad-Spectrum Novel Anti-Corona Virus Strategies Project," which was accepted in 2020 under the bilateral cooperation program between the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC), project coordinator Prof. Dr. Aynur Karadenizli and faculty members Prof. Dr. Murat Kasap, Prof. Dr. Gürler Akpınar, and assistant professors Hüseyin Uzuner and Emel Azak conducted the studies.

In the Turkish leg of the project, the academics produced the antibody portion of the protein-targeted drug molecule at the Antibody Production Unit and Proteomics Unit located at the Kocaeli University Faculty of Medicine Molecular Research and Antibody Laboratory.

It was determined that two molecules associated with the produced antibody are effective against SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of COVID-19, and seasonal coronaviruses.

The academics selected two highly effective antibodies and sent them to their project partners at Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China. Following additional studies conducted there, an international patent application was filed for the molecule.

VIRUS TO BE ELIMINATED OUTSIDE THE CELL

Prof. Dr. Karadenizli stated that in the international project they are conducting within the framework of the TÜBİTAK and NSFC bilateral cooperation, they aim to both prevent SARS-CoV-2 from entering respiratory system cells and eliminate it outside the cell.

Karadenizli noted that as Turkish partners in the project, which was approved in November 2020, their primary task was to produce antibodies, and they obtained two antibodies in their laboratory specifically against one of the non-structural proteins of the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Stating that they selected these from among other antibodies obtained, Karadenizli said, "We conducted studies regarding the affinity (the relationship between antibody and antigen) and avidity (the binding strength between an antibody and a complex antigen) of the antibodies. Ultimately, we sent two antibodies to the partner laboratory in China for this project. There is a part of the project that we do, and a part that they do. They send us what they have done, and we work on those as well. For example, in the mechanism aimed at inhibiting the virus inside the cell, there were 12 molecules screened from among many. They sent these to us. We looked at their effects on the viruses. Here, we screened seasonal coronaviruses alongside SARS-CoV-2 and found two molecules among them to be effective."

"CONSTRUCTION OF THE MOLECULE TO BE USED IN TREATMENT HAS BEGUN"

Karadenizli stated that they conveyed the data they obtained from the molecules to their partners and continued as follows:

"The construction of the molecule to be used in treatment, which we call the 'PROTAC molecule' and which also utilizes the antibodies we produced, has begun. The good news for the two molecules for which we previously found effectiveness against the virus is that a patent application has also been filed. We did the preliminary preparation for this. It will be used as a drug that can be used in risky situations involving contact with a COVID-19 patient, or in the treatment of patients who are infected with the virus and have complaints such as headache, upper respiratory tract infection, and muscle aches."

Emphasizing that the drug molecule will not be used like a vaccine in people without complaints or risks, Karadenizli said, "The risk is still present in patients over a certain age. Even if it is not a large segment of the society, the risk is still a concern for people who are severely obese or overweight. This group constitutes the target audience."

News Source: AA

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