Breakthrough antibody kills all known variants of SARS-CoV-2

[orthoclad]

21. Don't get TOO excited

The novel antibody, SP1-77, binds to the covid spike protein at a site which has SO FAR not mutated in any variant:
“SP1-77 binds the spike protein at a site that so far has not been mutated in any variant, and it neutralizes these variants by a novel mechanism,”
The article doesn't describe the novel mechanism.

The first thing that occurs to me is that the targeted site on the spike protein has not yet mutated because it has not yet received selection pressure.

Evolution proceeds by selection pressure. If there is no pressure to mutate and no advantage to mutating, then there is no advantage to transmitting a mutation, so there is no change. In other words, there has been no reason so far for that site on the spike protein to mutate and transmit the mutation to succeeding generations. Once that site on the spike protein is targeted by SP1-77, it will receive selection pressure and there will be an advantage for mutations of the site. Then we'll have a variant resistant to SP1-77.

That "novel mechanism" might demolish this argument, but the article doesn't describe it.It does say that this antibody interferes with the ability of covid to fuse the virus membrane with the cell membrane, which I think is different from previous antibodies.

This antibody could, though, give broad protection against all existing strains, so that's good.

edit: I somehow missed the references given by xocetacean in post #10 (sorry, and thanks!). The science.org link gives overwhelming detail, along with really beautiful color 3D visualizations of the proteins and their interactions.