Amid surging coronavirus cases across the world, a new antibody treatment is being trialled in hopes that it could prevent people from developing the deadly virus after being exposed to the disease. According to SkyNews, the antibody, known as AZD7442, has been developed by UK-based pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca and is now being looked by the University College London Hospitals NHS Trust as part of a new trial called Storm Chaser. So far, ten people have been injected with the new antibody as part of the trial and UCLH aims to recruit 1,125 people worldwide.
Dr. Catherine Houlihan, who is the UCLH virologist and who is also leading the campaign, said that the officials, for now, know that the antibody combination can neutralise the virus. She added that authorities hope to find that giving this treatment via injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of coronavirus in people who have been exposed. Further, she informed that UCLH aims to inject people from key groups, including healthcare workers, students in shared accommodation, the military and those who recently have been exposed to the deadly virus.