Antibody-containing nasal spray may offer protection and treatment for COVID

Doi: https : //doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01481-2

Commentary

This study concerned an antibody therapeutic approach and was initiated to design an antibody that could be delivered directly to the nose. Existing intravenous delivery is not popular, and this method of delivering antibodies directly into the nasal cavity links IgG fragments targeting SARS-CoV-2 to IgM antibodies, which are a variety of molecules, and the IgM antibodies serve as rapid first responders to a wide range of infections. The genetically engineered IgM had a much stronger "neutralizing" effect on more than 20 variants of SARS-CoV-2 than did IgG alone. When injected into the noses of mice six hours before or six hours after infection, the modified IgM sharply reduced the amount of virus in the lungs of the rodents two days after infection, the team reported in Nature 1.

Because the IgM molecule is relatively stable and can be formulated into nasal sprays that can be purchased at pharmacies and stored for emergencies, IGM Biosciences, a biotechnology company in Mountain View, California, that collaborated on the study, plans to test the antibody in clinical trials. IGM Biosciences, a biotechnology company in Mountain View, California, which helped with the research, plans to test the antibody in clinical trials.