A biopharmaceutical company based in San Diego, California, claims they have developed a treatment for COVID-19 that could cure a person in just four days. Sorrento Therapeutics says they have discovered an antibody that has been successful at blocking the coronavirus in laboratory tests.
The company said that they were researching billions of antibodies and discovered about a dozen that were capable of blocking the spike proteins that the coronavirus uses to attach to human enzymes. Out of those antibodies, they found one, STI-1499, that had a one hundred percent success rate.
"When the antibody prevents a virus from entering a human cell, the virus cannot survive," Dr. Henry Ji, founder and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics, told Fox News. "If they cannot get into the cell, they cannot replicate. So it means that if we prevent the virus from getting the cell, the virus eventually dies out. The body clears out that virus."
The company is planning to begin testing on animals soon and hopes to start clinical trials by July. If everything goes well, Sorrento Therapeutics believes their treatment could allow the world to ease up on social distancing long before a vaccine is ready.
"We want to emphasize there is a cure. There is a solution that works 100 percent," Dr. Ji said. "If we have the neutralizing antibody in your body, you don't need the social distancing. You can open up a society without fear."
The company said that it can produce about 200,000 doses per month and is planning to ramp up production to manufacture tens of millions of doses.
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