Synthetic antibodies are a powerful therapy for COVID-19

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Reports that Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna may soon have vaccines that are effective in preventing COVID-19 infections were sparks of good news as daily new cases of the virus in the United States hit record highs. But a vaccine doesn’t provide instantaneous protection. That’s why it is critical that pharmaceutical companies produce other powerful medicines that work immediately to disable and neutralize the virus. One of the most powerful of these new anti-COVID-19 treatments is synthetic antibodies, also known as monoclonal antibodies. Rodney Rohde of Texas State University explains what monoclonal antibodies are, how they work and the pros and cons of this new therapy.

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Y-shaped proteins called antibodies are vital for attacking and destroying the virus. Dr_Microbe/Getty Images

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