Singapore: A Singapore-based biotechnology firm will begin human clinical trials next week for a potential monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19 that could slow down the progression of the disease in patients, help them recover faster, and provide temporary protection against it.
Tychan, a firm backed by state investor Temasek Holdings, said in a statement on Wednesday has received approval from Singapore’s Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for the Phase 1 clinical safety trial in healthy volunteers.
The firm has developed TY027, a monoclonal antibody that specifically targets SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
Antibodies are generated in the body to fight off infection. Monoclonal antibodies mimic natural antibodies and can be isolated and manufactured in large quantities to treat diseases in patients.
Presently, there is no proven antibody-based treatment for COVID-19. There is also no licensed vaccine to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection, Tychan said.
Tychan may become the first firm to start its human clinical trial in Singapore, although efforts in developing an antibody-based treatment are underway here and globally.
As of Tuesday, Tychan’s was the only registered clinical trial internationally for such a treatment, according to a report by Channel News Asia.
Depending on the results of the trial, there are various ways it can be used, said Professor OoiEngEong of Duke-National University of Singapore (Duke-NUS) Medical School, who is also the firm’s co-founder.
You could use it to treat all COVID-19 patients and prevent them from getting severe disease. You could also give it to those who are going to get severe disease and prevent them then from sliding further in their respiratory function, the Channel quoted Professor Ooi as saying. (PTI)
