SINGAPORE (Reuters) – A Singaporean biotechnology firm, Tychan, will begin human clinical trials next week for a potential monoclonal antibody treatment for COVID-19, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
The first phase of the trial will be conducted on healthy volunteers to determine the safety and tolerability of TY027, a monoclonal antibody or immune system protein that specifically targets the virus that causes COVID-19.
Antibodies are generated in the body to fight off infection. Monoclonal antibodies mimic natural antibodies and can be isolated and manufactured in large quantities to treat diseases in patients.
(Reporting by Aradhana Aravindan and John Geddie in Singapore; Editing by Himani Sarkar)
