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BOSTON Understanding the body s immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is key to developing effective treatments and long-lasting vaccines. Of particular interest are neutralizing antibodies, which can block the virus from entering and infecting human cells, helping the immune system clear the virus and prevent future infections.
Scientists at the Ragon Institute of MGH, MIT and Harvard, publishing in the journal
Cell, show that the potency of neutralizing antibodies which developed in COVID-19 patients was significantly reduced in those with severe or fatal disease compared to patients with milder infections. Potent neutralizing antibodies were associated with a positive outcome, says Alejandro Balazs, PhD, Ragon Core Member and lead author of the study. We found that if a person made antibodies that were more effective at neutralizing the virus, they seemed to have better clinical outcomes.