A team led by an Italian
immunologist has isolated a potent human antibody capable of
latching on to the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS)
virus, according to an an article published in Proceedings of
the National Academy of Sciences of the United States (PNAS)
magazine Tuesday.
The discovery opens up a possible pathway to a vaccine or a
cure for the disease, which has affected 1,300 people since 2012
and killed 500.
Scientists have yet to ascertain the exact source of MERS
virus infection.
The team was led by Alessandro Lanzavecchia, founding
director of the Institute for Research in Biomedicine in
Bellinzona, Switzerland.
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