Posted at May 22, 2020
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A Flicker of Hope, STI-1499 Makes it’s Debut

It has been over 2 months since the announcement of the “stay-at-home” order. Many of us are still isolated in our homes, fearful of even going outside. However, now is the time that our daily lives are slowly piecing themselves back together. It has been too long. Now, there is a shimmer of hope and its called STI-1499.
 
STI-1499 is an anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody developed by Sorrento Threaputics, a biopharmaceutical company, that is able to completely and utterly inhibit 100% of the virus’ symptoms. An article was written about STI-1499 titled “STI-1499, A Potent Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibody, Demonstrates Ability To Completely Inhibit In Vitro Virus Infection In Preclinical Studies”, and it states that after many months of rigorous testing, they were able to accomplish “binding to S1 subunit of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein and complete blockade of its interaction with ACE2 receptor” (Sorrento Therapeutics). Basically, that means this antibody has the ability to block the receptor that allows viral entrance into the human body. Only a dozen tests have been proven to show these positive reactions to COVID-19, but it is still far from a natural vaccine. However, this is the first big breakthrough in quelling the danger of the virus. This doesn’t mean it isn’t impossible. A vaccine will appear someday, it’s just that the day is going to be sooner than expected. Some speculate that there wont be a vaccine until next year, but we may have just shaved off a few months with this new discovery. In addition to STI-1499’s debut, it was also shown to be able to completely neutralize the virus’s infection at a very low antibody dose. Therefore, it has become a #1 candidate for further testing and development. It has yet to be approved by the FDA, but it is only a matter of time. STI-1499 is a potentially strong antibody drug candidate, so it might protect us from future outbreaks and overall, have the potential to boost our immune systems. However, that is mere speculation on my part.
 
The time of isolation is drawing to a close and soon we will be able to continue our normal, everyday lives. However, things are far from “normal”. At best, we have a chance to beat this virus rather than hiding from it. STI-1499 is a brand new step into the cure for COVID-19 and a chance to gain our regular lives back. Only time will tell from now on, but as far as I am concerned, things are looking up.
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