How do Menarini monoclonal antibodies work?
The monoclonal antibodies produced by Menarini and tested at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome and the Clinical Research Center in Verona could be ready by April
The experimentation of Italian monoclonal antibodies comes to life, the drug developed by the research center of the Mad Lab of Toscana Life Sciences, produced by Menarini and tested at the Spallanzani Institute in Rome and by the Clinical Research Center of Verona could be ready for April .
What are monoclonal antibodies? And how do they work? Let's go step by step.
MONOCLONALS UNDER EXPERIMENTATION
The monoclonal antibodies produced by Menarini are being tested. The study is conducted by the Spallanzani Institute of Rome and the Clinical Research Center of Verona. According to what Repubblica writes, the drugs could be ready by April.
PAOLINI (TUSCAN LIFE FOUNDATION): SECURITY MUST BE VERIFIED
The ongoing trial, the first phase, will serve to test the safety of the therapy. "The one-room antibody that we have selected as the result of laboratory research conducted in recent months by the MAD (Monoclonal Antibody Discovery) Lab, was produced by Menarini Biotech of Pomezia and we are now really one step away from the start of clinical trials, expected for the beginning of January ”, Andrea Paolini, general manager of the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, told Ansa in recent days.
“Phase 1 – he added – which will verify the safety of the therapy – he specifies – will be carried out on healthy people and conducted by the Spallanzani Institute in Rome and by the Clinical Research Center in Verona”.
THE TUSCAN LIFE SCIENCES FOUNDATION
It was the Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, a non-profit organization active in the Tuscan territory, that developed the monoclonal antibody.
The body, chaired by Fabrizio Landi , former member of the board of directors of Leonardo-Finmeccanica in the Renzi share, was born thanks to the collaboration of the Bank and the Mps Foundation; Tuscany region; Province of Siena; Municipality of Siena; University of Siena; Chiron Vaccines Spa; Siena Biotech Spa; Siena industrial association; University Hospital of Siena; Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Crafts and Agriculture of Siena.
RESEARCH
The antibody that is tested was selected during a long research, coordinated by Professor Rino Rappuoli, which started from the blood of patients who had defeated Covid in a natural way. Over 4,000 B cells were selected from the plasma, producing approximately 450 antibodies to be tested.
THE PRODUCTION: THE MENARINI GROUP
The most powerful, the one selected, is the MAD0004J08 put into production by Menarini, an Italian pharmaceutical group present in 140 countries around the world. In 2019, the group had 17,447 employees and a turnover of 3,793 million euros.
THE PROJECT
The study and research were possible thanks to a collaboration agreement with the Spallanzani Institute, which was also extended to the Sienese and Pisan university hospitals. The project was financed by the Tuscany Region within the Regional Center for Precision Medicine and a grant from the EU Malaria Fund.
WHAT ARE MONOCLONAL ANTIBODIES
But let's take a step back. What are monoclonal antibodies? “They are biological molecules created in the laboratory, similar to those produced when we are infected or vaccinated and therefore capable of recognizing the virus, neutralizing it or blocking its entry into our cells and spread. They can have a therapeutic function, as a drug, if used at the beginning of the infection in such a way as to limit its severity. Or a temporary protective function, lasting a few months. Maybe two to six ”, replied Giuseppe Novelli, geneticist at the Tor Vergata polyclinic in Rome, to Corriere della Sera.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
The monoclonal antibody has a preventive purpose “identical” to that of the vaccine, but with the latter “the protection lasts longer because the immune memory is stimulated which leaves a memory of the pathogen. So the defenses are reactivated every time the organism encounters it. In the case of monoclonals, immunity is immediate and temporary. Their role could be important in communities exposed to contagion, such as homes for the elderly, where there is a need for rapid protection, ”says Novelli.
AIFA APPROVES REGENERON AND ELI LILLY ANTIBODIES
Looking at production outside national borders, Aifa has given the green light to the use of the antibodies, casirivimab / imdevimab, developed and produced in collaboration by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and La Roche, and to the antibodies of bamlanivimab and etesevimab, developed by Eli Lilly. The drugs can only be administered to patients at high risk of developing severe forms of the disease, with possible fatal outcomes. Early stage patients should be selected
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/sanita/come-funzionano-gli-anticorpi-monoclonali-di-menarini/ on Sun, 28 Feb 2021 16:50:16 +0000.