COVID SCIENCE UPDATES

Scientists find exquisitely potent antibodies; a blood test may identify who needs steroids

Scientists have found 19 potent antibodies that "neutralize" the new coronavirus, including nine that exhibit "exquisite potency," according to a study published in Nature.

Compared to previously isolated antibodies, some of the new ones can target different regions of the so-called spike that protrudes from the surface of the virus and helps it infect cells.

"Finding antibodies directed to different regions of the spike allows for more/better possibility of forming antibody cocktails to attach the virus and to avoid viral resistance," Dr. David Ho, Director of the Aaron Diamond AIDS Research Center at Columbia University, told Reuters.

Furthermore, the newly found antibodies can be easily generated by the immune system, and potentially be used both to treat and prevent infection, he added.

"An antibody cocktail could be administered to infected patients early in the course of infection, especially if they are elderly or have underlying chronic conditions," Ho said, citing nursing home residents as an example.

"These folks generally do not mount a robust immune response to vaccines, hence antibodies might be an ideal approach." 

Blood test may identify COVID-19 patients who need steroids

A blood test may help identify coronavirus patients who would benefit from steroids early in their illness, researchers said, after a gold-standard trial published last week showed dexamethasone reduced deaths in COVID-19 patients who needed oxygen or mechanical ventilation.

In a report in the Journal of Hospital Medicine on Wednesday, doctors said two other widely available steroid drugs are also helpful.

They studied more than 1,800 hospitalized COVID-19 patients, including 140 who were treated in the first 48 hours with dexamethasone, prednisone, or methylprednisolone.

Overall, the steroids did not appear to reduce rates of mechanical ventilation or death.

However, early steroid treatments in patients with high levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) in their blood - indicating high levels of inflammation - reduced the chance of mechanical ventilation by 80% and the risk of death by 77%.

Using CRP levels to identify COVID-19 patients who might benefit from steroids is a potentially good idea, the doctors say.

But to prove that, and also to see whether different steroids might yield different results, a randomized controlled trial is needed.  -- Reuters