"The company commented that compared with other monoclonal antibodies, "VIR-7831 binds to a highly conserved epitope of the spike protein, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop."
Vir Biotechnology's CEO George Scangos, Ph.D., commented, "These exciting data with a single antibody against a conserved epitope bring us one step closer to delivering an effective new solution to patients around the globe."
I guess I'm just skeptical that anyone can be truly sure of which exposed epitopes are conserved (I haven't seen data on this residue or drug, these are just my thoughts). Given that we're talking about a three dimensional structure, you really need a number of conserved residues in physical proximity to have an inescapable monoclonal antibody. It seems quite possible that there aren't any targets like this and that only a polyclonal immune response, or maybe a cocktail of monoclonals, can be effective in the long-term.
https://www.investorideas.com/news/2021/biotech/03122Vir-COV...
"The company commented that compared with other monoclonal antibodies, "VIR-7831 binds to a highly conserved epitope of the spike protein, which may make it more difficult for resistance to develop."
Vir Biotechnology's CEO George Scangos, Ph.D., commented, "These exciting data with a single antibody against a conserved epitope bring us one step closer to delivering an effective new solution to patients around the globe."