The study is led by UCLH virologist Catherine Houlihan, the director of UCL’s Infection and Immunity department.
Antibodies, proteins created by an immune response, hunt for foreign intruders, like viruses, in the body to eliminate them. The prevailing theory for antibody-based treatments is that if the body can preemptively have antibodies that recognize the virus, it can react better if infected.
The LAAB is composed of monoclonal antibodies, which are artificially made and administered in an effort to strengthen the immune system.
“We know that this antibody combination can neutralise the virus, so we hope to find that giving this treatment via injection can lead to immediate protection against the development of Covid-19 in people who have been exposed – when it would be too late to offer a vaccine,” Houlihan said.