The Role of Antibodies in the Treatment of SARS-CoV-2 Virus Infection, and Evaluating Their Contribution to Antibody-Dependent Enhancement of Infection.

Antibodies play a crucial role in the immune response, in fighting off pathogens as well as helping create strong immunological memory. Antibody-dependent enhancement (ADE) occurs when non-neutralising antibodies recognise and bind to a pathogen, but are unable to prevent infection, and is widely known and is reported as occurring in infection caused by several viruses. This narrative review explores the ADE phenomenon, its occurrence in viral infections and evaluates its role in infection by SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). As of yet, there is no clear evidence of ADE in SARS-CoV-2, though this area is still subject to further study.

Biomolecular interactions with nanoparticles: applications for coronavirus disease 2019.

Nanoparticles are small particles sized 1-100 nm, which have a large surface-to-volume ratio, allowing efficient adsorption of drugs, proteins, and other chemical compounds. Consequently, functionalized nanoparticles have potential diagnostic and therapeutic applications. A variety of nanoparticles have been studied, including those constructed from inorganic materials, biopolymers, and lipids. In this review, we focus on recent work targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Understanding the interactions between coronavirus-specific proteins (such as the spike protein and its host cell receptor angiotensin-converting enzyme 2) with different nanoparticles paves the way to the development of new therapeutics and diagnostics that are urgently needed for the fight against COVID-19, and indeed for related future viral threats that may emerge.