Potential new treatment for COVID-19 is made from plants

The novel coronavirus SARS CoV-2 is responsible for the COVID-19 global pandemic. A new form of monoclonal antibody therapeutic to treat the disease is described in a new study, which graces the cover of Plant Biology Journal. Credit: Jason Drees

In new research, Shawn Chen, a researcher with Arizona State University’s Biodesign Center for Immunotherapy, Vaccines and Virotherapy and School of Life Sciences, describes an innovative therapy for COVID-19. The method highlighted in the study uses transient expression in tobacco plants to develop and produce a monoclonal antibody, or mAb. The study highlights the potential of synergizing antibody cocktails with the addition of monoclonal antibodies that do not directly hinder ACE2 binding to the receptor-binding domain. The study also underscores the potential of plant-based monoclonal antibody expression platforms in therapeutic development against the ever-evolving SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Plant-made COVID-19 therapies have several advantages over other production platforms. Plants can produce large quantities of therapeutic proteins in a relatively short amount of time, making them ideal for scaling up production. They are inexpensive to grow and maintain, making them a cost-effective alternative to traditional protein expression systems. Because plants are not natural hosts for human pathogens, their use reduces the risk of contamination with infectious agents.

Finally, plant-based expression systems can be rapidly reprogrammed to produce new therapeutics in response to emerging pathogens such as SARS-CoV-2, making them an attractive option for pandemic response.

By Richard Harth, Arizona State University

Article can be accessed on: MedicalXpress