CHINESE and American scientists claimed on Monday to have jointly developed a new antibody targeting the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) virus.
A research team of Fudan University in Shanghai worked with their counterparts from the U.S. National Institute of Health to develop the antibody, and they said that tests on animals had seen “very effective” results.
Jiang Shibo, who led the research team at Fudan, said the m336 antibody could neutralize the MERS virus more effectively than other antibodies.
“It needs to go through further clinical trials, like fulfilling its safety efficacy tests, animal safety efficacy tests and Phase I clinical trials. So there is still a long process,” Jiang said.
The m336 antibody treatment has proved more effective when coupled with a specific type of polypeptide, according to Jiang.
MERS is a respiratory illness caused by a new type of corona-virus that is similar to the one causing Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). There is no vaccine or effective treatment for the disease, with its fatality rate reaching 40.7 percent.
The first case was spotted in Saudi Arabia in 2012. The World Health Organization has since reported more than 1,000 cases of MERS globally and more than 400 deaths.
The epidemic has drawn global attention recently, as an outbreak in South Korea had killed 19 out of 154 diagnosed cases as of Tuesday.
China confirmed the first MERS case on May 29 in a 44-year-old South Korean who flew to Hong Kong before traveling to the southern Chinese city of Huizhou. (Courtesy CCTV/Reuters)
