Engineering cancer antibody therapies for Covid-19

UCL's Cancer Institute is repurposing a sophisticated antibody engineering approach, funded by the UCL Technology Fund (UCLTF), to research and develop a new treatment against Covid-19. A new project, led by Dr Martin Pule, Senior Lecturer in Haematology and Professor Kerry Chester, Department of Oncology, will investigate pivoting existing research used in the fight against cancer by creating a unique 'cocktail' of recombinant antibodies capable of preventing the virus from entering cells and removing it from circulation. Scientists will identify and clone the antibodies from genetic material produced by white blood cells from recovered Covid-19 patients who have made effective antibodies to the virus.  The work involves extracting, amplifying and then analysing the antibody genes from many millions of cells - and using this information to create vast antibody libraries from which to choose the few specificities that will provide an effective combination. The team has the technology and knowledge acquired from 20 years' experience developing antibodies for cancer treatment, where monoclonal antibodies have for long been a standard component of treatment. The challenge posed by this new research initiative is to find the perfect combination of cloned antibodies that will work synergistically to prevent mutation-based viral 'escape' from the treatment whilst avoiding unwanted side effects. Fortunately, high throughput antibody technology will allow the team to generate antibody libraries rapidly and functionally select the winners from literally thousands of millions of different antibody specificities.