Promising news from BIO member SAB Biotherapeutics: according to preclinical study, their biotech cows are producing potent neutralizing COVID-19 antibodies, and they’ve started manufacturing in preparation for clinical trials.
To catch you up, SAB is a clinical-stage biopharma based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, using genetic engineering and antibody science to breed cows with fully human antibodies for SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing COVID-19.
Why cows? These large animals have robust immune systems and can produce more antibody than a lot of animals used in biotech—and a LOT more than convalescent human patients.
And the technology looks promising: “SAB’s novel approach, leveraging genetically engineered cattle to produce fully human antibodies, enables a scalable and reliable production of targeted, higher potency neutralizing antibody product than has been previously possible. As a fully human polyclonal antibody, SAB’s novel therapeutic candidate for COVID-19 deploys the same natural immune response to fight the disease as recovered patients, but with a much higher concentration of targeted antibodies,” explains the press release.
They’re on track to begin clinical trials this summer, and they’ve started clinical manufacturing in preparation.
What they’re saying: “In just seven weeks, we’ve accelerated development of a specifically targeted natural human polyclonal therapeutic, without the need for human serum, and generated large volumes of highly-potent neutralizing antibodies to SARS-CoV-2, to produce clinical lots of our COVID-19 therapeutic candidate, SAB-185,” said SAB CEO Eddie Sullivan. “Consistent with data across SAB’s platform in other indications, these data suggest that our potential COVID-19 therapeutic may remain effective even as SARS-CoV-2 continues to evolve.”
Why it matters: “A highly-potent, polyclonal antibody therapy for COVID-19 could prove critical in combatting this pandemic as it could potentially treat severely ill patients and provide protective antibodies for front-line responders, mission-critical staff, and high-risk populations, such as the elderly and immune compromised.”
Want to know more?Listen to our recent episode of the I AM BIO Podcast featuring SAB’s Eddie Sullivan.
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