“One question we asked was whether there was any difference between mild and severe cases with regard to both the quality and quantity of the antiviral antibodies produced by the immune system,” Freund said. “To find an answer, we conducted genetic sequencing of thousands of antibodies derived from the participants’ blood, then cloned them in the lab and tested their effectiveness in neutralizing the virus.”“We found a significant statistical difference between the two groups of patients in the ability of their antibodies to neutralize COVID-19: Only a small portion of the mildly ill participants developed neutralizing antibodies, and some developed no antibodies whatsoever,” she said. “Thus, we may assume that people who were infected but remained asymptomatic or developed very mild symptoms may possibly contract the disease a second time.”Patients who had severe cases of COVID-19 developed neutralizing antibodies that will probably protect them from reinfection, Freund said.However, she, like most other scientists, noted that it is still unclear whether these antibodies will provide long-term protection. The novel coronavirus is still too new.Many experts took part in the project. Participating patients were recruited with the help of Dr. David Hagin, director of Allergy and Immunology at Sourasky Medical Center in Tel Aviv; and Dr. Oren Zimhony, head of Infectious Diseases at the Kaplan Medical Center in Rehovot.Genetic sequencing of immune cells was conducted in collaboration with the Israeli start-up immunai (leveraging single-cell technologies and AI to decode the immune system for better therapeutics).Sequence analysis was done with the help of Dr. Gur Yaari of Bar-Ilan University.The antibodies were characterized in collaboration with Prof. Jonathan Gershoni and Dr. Oren Kobiler of Tel Aviv University.Pseudo-viral neutralization assays were run with the assistance of Dr. Meital Gal-Tanamy and Dr. Moshe Dessau of Bar-Ilan University’s Faculty of Medicine in the Galilee.Neutralization tests for the cocktail of antibodies against the live virus were run in collaboration with Dr. Ben Croker of the University of California San Diego.
Tel Aviv U. researchers develop antibody cocktail against COVID-19
Lead scientist: ‘Asymptomatic patients may possibly contract disease a second time’
