University of Pittsburgh researchers state they have isolated a molecule that “completely and specifically neutralizes” SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.

Updates on the breakthrough was published in the journal Cell.

The drug, called Ab8, was made by a molecule scientists state is 10 times littler than a full-sized antibody.

Researchers state Ab8 could be used both to keep an individual from getting the virus and help clear the disease from an individual who is as of now experiencing COVID-19.

“Ab8 not only has potential as therapy for COVID-19, but it also could be used to keep people from getting SARS-CoV-2 infections,” study co-author John Mellors, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Pitt and UPMC, said in a release from UPMC.

“Antibodies of larger size have worked against other infectious diseases and have been well-tolerated, giving us hope that it could be an effective treatment for patients with COVID-19 and for protection of those who have never had the infection and are not immune.”

The medication has been “highly effective in preventing and treating” SARS-CoV-2 contaminations in mice and hamsters, the examination stated, with results indicating those mice treated with Ab8 had 10 times less of the measure of irresistible infection than those mice who were not given the medication.

Researchers additionally said that the medication doesn’t appear to tie to human cells. That implies that the possibility Ab8 would cause negative side effects in individuals is little.