Antibody therapies for the treatment of COVID-19

The outbreak of COVID-19, the disease caused by infection of the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 that began in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, has caused more than 2 990 559 confirmed human infections and 207 446 deaths as of 27 April 2020 (Coronavirus COVID-19 Global Cases by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering (CSSE) at Johns Hopkins University). Scientists are working quickly on multiple aspects of the pandemic. Genetic analyses are conducted to reveal the source and evolution of SARS-CoV-2, providing knowledge that can be used to contain it and to avoid future outbreaks. Epidemiological studies that incorporate lessons learned from outbreaks of previous related viral diseases can guide the development of public health measures effective to contain the current and future outbreaks. Basic virology studies reveal viral structure and function. Pathology studies inform the development of strategies to interfere with infection. COVID-19 prevention and treatment strategies are being developed in preclinical and clinical studies. Antibody-based therapy is one viable treatment option. Here, we discuss some of the most active areas of developing strategies to treat COVID-19, focusing on the approaches to generate neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 for prophylactic and therapeutic treatment of COVID-19.