Antibodies and COVID-19: What We Know and What We Have Yet to Find

In my last post, I discussed the possible development of drugs that could help us treat COVID-19. For this weeks post, I wanted to talk about another source of hope for everyone: antibodies. Antibodies are Y shaped proteins that are part of our body’s immune system. When the body recognizes that there is something new or foreign in it, such as bacteria or a virus, antibodies help to neutralize or kill it, so we remain healthy and safe. But antibodies are all shaped differently, and in order to neutralize the foreign material, they have to have the corresponding shape to attach to it. So how do we get the right antibodies? Well, some antibodies can be passed on to us from our mothers while we are in the womb. And all antibodies can be produced after we first encounter the virus or bacteria. This is why we give vaccines, to help the body produce antibodies to what we are vaccinating against in order to better it fight off when we encounter it.

So you may be asking, what does all this have to do with COVID-19? If we can find who has the antibodies there is a possibility of people returning to work and everyday life sooner, of future generations having immunity, and of a vaccine we could use to create herd immunity and protect everyone. But before we know what we can do with the antibodies, we must first know that our bodies are producing antibodies to COVID-19. This can be done by finding the titer, or concentration, of the antibody molecules in our serum or plasma. We can also find the titer of different types of antibody molecules, such as IgM and IgG antibodies. If a high titer of IgM is found in a patient, it means that the person is currently positive for COVID-19 and their body has recently been exposed. If they have concentrations of both IgM and IgG antibodies, it means that they are still positive but their body is in the process of learning how to fight it off. Lastly, if a person mostly has IgG antibodies, this means that their body has already fought off COVID-19 and now has long-term antibodies against it. If we find people who have IgG antibodies, we could study their antibodies to determine how the body fights off COVID-19. The good news is that studies have shown that antibodies are being produced in response to COVID-19, and there are even animal studies that have indicated that the antibodies are preventing reinfection for at least a few weeks.

In terms of a vaccine, there are still many questions that need to be answered before we could produce one. Researchers aren’t sure yet if it will be inactivated or attenuated, or even a combination of subunit vaccines. This is still one of the many questions scientists are trying to answer. However, in the mean time there is certainly a certain amount of hope that could be found in antibody testing. Not just for answers to our scientific questions, but to help us determine who is infected and who has immunity, for however long that may be. If we can figure this out, it could be a major step in getting people back to their everyday lives and getting our world back in working order. So, if you’re interested, be sure to keep an eye out for new antibody research to read about. It may not provide every answer we need, but it could definitely be a key in providing some temporary solutions and be a major stepping stone to answer other big questions.

Featured Image by Macau Photo Agency on Unsplash.