This Man's Super-Antibody Can Be Diluted 10,000 Times But Still Works Against COVID-19

The blood of John Hollis, an American man from Virginia, can be the key to a COVID-19 vaccine. Scientists say that his body is producing a rare “super-antibody” that even when diluted up to 10,000 times can still fight SARS-CoV-2. knowing

This antibody can even provide immunity against new COVID-19 variants while existing vaccines are less effective.

The story of Hollis began in April 2020 when he found that his roommate was infected with the coronavirus. He experienced severe symptoms in a month. However, as the local hospital was overloaded, healthcare workers told him to self-quarantine at home.

At the same time, Hollis moved to another room. But he was so worried about his friend that he came to his friend’s room’s door every morning and listened to the noises inside to make sure he was still alive. After that, he would clean the house and stay in the other room for the rest of the day. Hollis' closest friend, Kevin W. Tydings said:

“He was scared to death. I called him just about every day for two weeks, checking on him. I was worried for him. He figured he would get it. But to his credit, he manned up and stayed there, because he didn't want to go out and give it to someone else.”

Hollis admitted that he was terrified. At the time, SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 had not been studied thoroughly. Statistics and the death rate were fluctuating. Hollis said he feared he would die and miss out on his son’s growth. He even wrote a letter to his son in case things went south.

He added that after his roommate recovered, he waited. But one month, then two months went by, he was perfectly healthy and not infected.

In mid-July, Hollis passed by a volunteer recruiting sign for a COVID-19 study. The study was led by Dr. Lance Liotta, a former deputy director of the National Institutes of Health. He was looking for those who had contacted COVID-19 patients.

Hollis signed up immediately. He had his throat swabs taken, blood tested and answered a few questions. One night, he got a call from Liotta and was told that he had a super-antibody against COVID-19. Hollis said he was in complete shock.

According to Dr. Pierre Vigilance, a public health professor at George Washington University, about 75% of COVID-19 patients have binding antibodies, which don’t neutralize the virus. Less than 5% of COVID-19 patients have super-antibodies, making them vitally important to replicate and for use in therapeutic modality.

In his study, Liotta found 7 other patients with super-antibodies. However, Hollis was different because his antibodies maintained 90% of their power 9 months after he got the virus. In other patients, the antibodies disappeared within 2-3 months. Hollis’ antibodies can be diluted up to 10,000 times and still worked against SARS-CoV-2, according to Liotta.

“The fact that so few people make these kinds of antibodies means that it's important to learn how to harvest and how to replicate that.”

Since August last year, Hollis has been participating in a study specifically about him. Liotta and colleagues took his blood and saliva once every two weeks for testing and experimenting.

The researcher said that Hollis’ antibodies not only maintain but are also effective in fighting 6 different coronavirus variants. Super-antibodies can recognize different parts of the virus, not just the protein spikes. Researching his antibodies has unlocked a new scientific world for scientists and will provide new ways of fighting COVID.

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