Sorrento Therapeutics says STI-1499 fully inhibited SARS-CoV-2 virus

Sorrento Therapeutics said that STI-1499, its anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody, showed 100% inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in an in vitro virus infection experiment at a very low antibody concentration.

The US biotech company will look to create an antibody cocktail product that will work as a protective shield against SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus infection and stay effective even if virus mutations make a single antibody therapy less effective over time.

Sorrento Therapeutics said that it has been screening billions of antibodies diligently in its G-MAB fully human antibody library and till now has identified hundreds of antibody candidates that bind the S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. Nearly a dozen of these antibodies have shown the ability to prevent the interaction of the S1 protein with human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the receptor, which is used for viral entrance into human cells.

According to the biotech company based in California, these blocking antibodies were tested further for their ability to inhibit SARS-CoV-2 virus infection in an in vitro SARS-CoV-2 virus infection model subject to a preclinical testing agreement for COVID-19 therapeutic candidates.

Sorrento Therapeutics said that among the antibodies that showed neutralizing activity, one antibody stood out for its ability to fully inhibit SARS-CoV-2 infection of healthy cells in the experiments. STI-1499, as per the biotech company, fully neutralized the virus infectivity at a very low antibody dose, thereby making it a prime candidate for additional testing and development.

Sorrento Therapeutics said that initial biochemical and biophysical analyses also show that STI-1499 is a potentially strong antibody drug candidate.

Dr. Henry Ji – Chairman and CEO of Sorrento Therapeutics said: “Our STI-1499 antibody shows exceptional therapeutic potential and could potentially save lives following receipt of necessary regulatory approvals. We at Sorrento are working day and night to complete the steps necessary to get this product candidate approved and available to the waiting public.”