Development of a hyperimmune equine serum therapy for COVID-19 in Argentina

VANESA ZYLBERMAN; SANDRA V. HIGA; ROMINA PARDO; VANINA A. ALZOGARAY; PAULA M. BERGUER; MARINA S. BUSTELO; ELISA CORREA; MARÍA DELLAFIORE; LUCIANO L. GUERRA; CONSTANZA LAUCHÉ; LISANDRO H. OTERO; ROMINA RAMONDINO; JAVIER E. RUSSO; MAURICIO SEIGELCHIFER; PATRICIA LÓPEZ BISCAYART; ELSA G. BAUMEISTER; ANDREA V. PONTORIERO; SUSANA M. MORRONE SEIJO; MARÍA E. ACUÑA INTRIERI; ESTEFANÍA BENEDETTI; LUCAS BUKATA; MARIANA COLONNA; MARÍA E. DATTERO; JOAQUÍN V. GONZÁLEZ; MARÍA S. LABANDA; ANABELA M. MARTÍNEZ; PABLO F. PONZIANI; SANTIAGO RODRÍGUEZ; SOLEDAD L. SAAVEDRA; CLAUDIO VILARIÑO; LINUS SPATZ; SANTIAGO SANGUINETI; MARÍA L. CERUTTI; LUCIANA MUÑOZ; MARTÍN M. AVARO; LAURA BOCANERA; ANA M. CAMPOS; LUCÍA CRAGNAZ; SABRINA FOSCALDI; SEBASTIÁN KLINKE; JUAN C. LÓPEZ; ELÍAS H. PEYRIC; JIMENA RINALDI; MARA L. RUSSO; SANTIAGO SOSA; ESTEBAN CORLEY; FERNANDO A. GOLDBAUM

MEDICINA (BUENOS AIRES)

MEDICINA (BUENOS AIRES)

Lugar: Buenos Aires; Año: 2020 vol. 80 p. 1 - 6

0025-7680

The disease named COVID-19, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus, is currently generating a global pandemic. Vaccine development is no doubt the best long-term immunological approach, but in the current epidemiologic and health emergency there is a need for rapid and effective solutions. Convalescent plasma is the only antibody-based therapy available for COVID-19 patients to date. Equine polyclonal antibodies (EpAbs) put forward a sound alternative. The new generation of processed and purified EpAbs containing highly purified F(ab´)2 fragments demonstrated to be safe and well tolerated. EpAbs are easy to manufacture allowing a fast development and scaling up for a treatment. Based on these ideas, we present a new therapeutic product obtained after immunization of horses with the receptor-binding domain of the viral Spike glycoprotein. Our product shows around 50 times more potency in in vitro seroneutralization assays than the average of convalescent plasma. This result may allow us to test the safety and eficacy of this product in a phase 2/3 clinical trial to be conducted in July 2020 in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires, Argentina.