On Oct. 26, 2020, immunologists at Scripps Research, in partnership with colleagues at the IAVI Neutralizing Antibody Center, published a key discovery in June that’s now on its way to becoming a widely available treatment for COVID-19.

As detailed in the journal Science, the team found that certain antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients were capable of potently neutralizing SARS-CoV2, the virus thatﾒs driving the pandemic. Animals that received these antibodies were protected against COVID-19 after being exposed to SARS-CoV-2.

This portfolio of antibodies serves as the foundation of a global program with potential to treat and prevent not only COVID-19, but also other coronaviruses that may arise or re-emerge in the future. IAVI announced an agreement with two large pharmaceutical companies—Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany and Serum Institute of India—that will leverage their distinct geographic footprints and infrastructure to develop the antibodies into treatments that could be made available around the world. A phase 1 clinical trial is expected to start early in 2021.