Responding to a request from a Chinese biotechnology company working closely with officials in China, Medarex, Inc. and the Massachusetts Biologic Laboratories (MBL) of the University of Massachusetts Medical School (UMMS) have shipped to Beijing a sample of the fully human antibody to SARS developed by Medarex and MBL/UMMS.
The antibody was sent to Sinovac Biotech Co., Ltd. for preclinical testing against SARS strains used for their vaccine and the control strain from previous cases in China.
In response to the recent outbreak of SARS, and to assist with research on potential therapies, Beijing-based Sinovac submitted this idea to the Chinese State Food and Drug Administration and received support to test the Medarex/MBL/UMMS antibody before any further action.
Sinovac plans to conduct preclinical tests to determine the antibody's effectiveness in neutralizing the strains of the SARS virus. "When faced with an outbreak of a deadly infectious disease like SARS, those with a public health mission need to move fast," said Donna Ambrosino, MD, Director of the MBL and a Professor of Pediatrics at UMass Medical School. "When the request was made to us, we were able to ship the antibody within hours." Donald L. Drakeman, President and CEO of Medarex, Inc., agreed, saying Medarex was ready to help. "We hope that our fully human antibody technology can be useful in addressing this important public health issue," he said.