-Memo Therapeutics AG (“MTx”), an innovator in the field of antibody discovery and immune repertoire analysis, announces that it has identified several SARS-CoV-2-specific virus-neutralizing antibodies with the potential for development as a COVID-19 immunotherapy.
Since March, MTx has selected the most promising donors from hundreds of Swiss COVID-19 patients. The selection criteria identified patients who had demonstrated a clinical course of COVID-19 indicative of a particularly potent antibody response.
Blood samples were collected from the clinically selected donors and used with MTx’s microfluidic DROPZYLLA® discovery platform to identify SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies. DROPZYLLA® enables the generation of complete recombinant human antibody repertoires, preserving all specificities present in each of the patient’s B cells.
By processing more than 2 million memory B cells from the COVID-19 donors, MTx was able to identify ultra-rare antibodies with superior virus-neutralizing activity within just six weeks of first patient enrollment. The most potent of these antibodies will now undergo clinical development as a passive immunotherapy for COVID-19, with a clinical proof-of-concept anticipated for Q4 this year.
Dr. Karsten Fischer, CEO of Memo Therapeutics, said: “The identification of SARS-CoV-2-neturalizing antibodies could be a game changer in how we tackle the global COVID-19 pandemic. The discovery process and ongoing clinical development may also provide key insights into how we can combat new mutants and viral outbreaks in the future, as well as other existing viral diseases.“
Dr. Christoph Esslinger, CSO of Memo Therapeutics, commented: “We are very excited by the opportunity to contribute to the global efforts against COVID-19. We are also extremely pleased to see that our DROPZYLLA® antibody discovery platform and the established workflow appear to be perfectly suited for a rapid pandemic response, and we believe that patient-derived antibodies are the most straightforward, safe and reliable therapeutic option in such a situation.”