Thanks, Markham for a thoughtful read. The main problem I see for antibodies whether they be MAbs or polyclonal is production. Unlike MAbs, chemists can whip up pills in the millions quickly. Antibody production calls for millions of vats swimming with Chinese Hamster Ovary cells.
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Don't get me wrong, antibody therapy will be a vital tool in the fight 4-our lives, but it's like calling a dozen finely crafted scalpels, just knives.
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Leronlimab is a MAb that doesn't directly block the coronavirus. It quiets our innate immune system in the later stages of infection so that we don't die from S.I.R.S., A.R.D.S., or drown in our own fluids. However, it is another indispensable MAb scalpel during the late stages of infection.
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Regeneron & Eli. Lilly are producing neutralizing antibodies that directly bind to the coronavirus capsid. These drugs will be the game-changing antibodies; those that prevent entry.
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With the pandemic surging, we are now realizing how much of us r made with bits & pieces of jumping viral DNA ever since we climbed down the tree. The coronavirus has left its mark on our collective human genome. I hope it doesn’t leave a scar, like Black Death did.
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We have to attack this as a thought & heart problem by multiple angles & curiosities including scrutinizing our apathy & greed 2ensure this viral insult doesn't wipe-out humanity 4-the-next-Gen of essential workers like our produce pickers bc we have 2clean up our Mother's air gone viral by consumption or is it now airborne? Who can tell these dayz. The pandemic is made worse by our interconnected, consumer culture gone viral on the backs of the poor infecting jets & innocent passengers.
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Vaccines are the other angle to control this Virus. I don’t know of any small molecules that would directly neutralize the viral capsid. Certainly, T-Cells will have a major role on this road to recovery. We must suppress them during a dysregulated infection and on the flip side, enhance the responsiveness of our naive population from this insult.
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Let’s not forget our current arsenal of drugs @hand such as antiviral and immuno-modulators. Interestingly, ACE-2 receptors are involved in viral entry. Many people with high blood pressure are on ACE-1 inhibitors or ARBs. The evidence is still out whether inhibiting ACE-1 will modulate ACE-2 for the better or worse. Our chemistry is a C-Saw game and we R teetering on its whimsical fulcrum. For now, there is no need to change the dosages of ACE-I or ARBs until we get a green light from evidence either way. It serves 2-show how complexly interwoven & balanced Life is riding on the flip of a coin ..
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The virus will never stop mutating until it finds the perfect key into our genome. Perhaps our next generation will transcribe endogenous COVID-19 retrovirus (ERV) ready for the next coronavirus pandemic. Will we have enuf sense 2-organize a unified response or will we b-our worst anti-bodies without a B cell to pass on2 the next generation? Perhaps we r the human-cancer made flesh? I digress, but who can tell the difference between these 2 these Post-Truth days?
The pandemic has exposed our hypocrisy to our Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights as American citizens. Without a united assault on COVID-19, no amount of drugs or antibodies will save U.S. the next time apocalypse rears catching us again with our pants down.