The two equine antibody formulations prepared by the Clodomiro Picado Institute of the University of Costa Rica (ICP-UCR), from plasma of horses hyperimmunized with viral proteins, are capable of inhibiting the infectivity of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus which causes COVID-19 disease.

This was the result of tests carried out at George Mason University, in the United States, which confirmed that the strategy of Costa Rican scientists allows the obtention of antibodies that neutralize the infectious capacity of the pathogen. These antibodies could prevent the disease from progressing in patients.

“The results clearly demonstrate that the horses produced a large number of antibodies that block the entry of the virus into human cells . This indicates that the medication can be very efficient and that the amount that will be required to treat patients would be relatively low, “said Dr. Alberto Alape Girón, ICP-UCR researcher, microbiologist and clinical chemist.

The sample was sent to the United States because the George Mason University center has one of the highest biosafety laboratories in the country for tests with live viruses in an environment with all the conditions of isolation and biosecurity. This allowed demonstrating that this plasma neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and that it is 100 times more powerful than convalescent plasma obtained from humans.

In the past four months, ICP-UCR researchers used various SARS-CoV-2 virus proteins to immunize six donated horses and thus induce the immune system of these animals to produce specific antibodies.
In total, there were four immunizations with different combinations of SARS-CoV-2 proteins that, at no time, harmed the health of the animals.

Later, the scientists extracted the blood and separated the blood cells from their liquid part, called blood plasma, which contains the antibodies. Then, the antibodies were purified in the pharmaceutical facilities of the Clodomiro Picado Institute, and finally, were used to formulate and bottle the new drug, which is an injectable liquid.

“But that is not the only positive news. The formulations also successfully passed the sterility tests carried out by the Analysis and Pharmaceutical Assessment Laboratory (Layafa-UCR) , which found that the serum is completely safe for use in humans.

“The quality test carried out in the Layafa-UCR showed the absence of aerobic bacteria, fungi and yeasts, for which it can be concluded that the sample analyzed is harmless (safe) from the point of view of microbial contamination,” said Dr. Jeimy Blanco Barrantes, Laboratory coordinator.

Now, the most important step follows: the clinical trial to be carried out by the CCSS. This will conclusively define whether the formulations will be effective in treating patients with COVID-19.

“The trial will specifically test the capacity of the treatment to help patients eliminate the virus from the tissues , through a quantitative test to be carried out at the Costa Rican Institute of Research and Teaching in Nutrition and Health (Incense) of the Ministry of Health. Also, the response of proinflammatory cytokines in patients receiving the treatment will be evaluated through specialized tests that will be carried out at the Faculty of Microbiology of the UCR, “said Dr. Alape.

Currently, a group of professionals from the CCSS and the UCR School of Medicine are preparing the protocol to be used for the clinical use of the new drug. Said protocol will be presented for evaluation and eventual approval to the Scientific Ethical Committee of the CCSS.
The ICP-UCR will focus now on optimizing the production of the new drug with the aim of reducing costs and maximizing process performance.

Source: UCR