It has come to the knowledge that an international team of renowned investigators has been able to accomplish the objective while going through the process of identification of the first human antibodies that has the sufficient potential or has the high proficiency in the effective neutralization of different strains of the virus that happen to be fully conscientious regarding the eruption of severe acute respiratory syndrome or the SARS. It has been found in this regard that in the course of the investigative study the researchers utilized a specific mouse model and in vitro assays or lab tests, to assess the neutralizing activity of the antibodies.

It is to be noted that the research team was led by the scientists hailing from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), both distinguished components of the premiere funding organization, the National Institutes of Health or the NIH. There was also the inclusion of the associates from the U.S. Army (USAMRIID), several highly recognized academic institutions in the United States, Switzerland, and Australia. It is to be recorded that there was the outbreak of SAARS among the human beings in the year 2002-2003 and again in 2003-2004, and each occurrence was thought to have cropped up when the virus was transferred from an animal host to humans. For that reason, it is apparent that animal strains of the virus may well be competent for the triggering a future human outbreak.

Speaking on the occasion Dr. Kanta Subbarao, M.D., NIAID, the person who was instrumental in the verification the effectiveness of the anti-SARS antibodies in animal models in his laboratory said, "This study is important because the viral strain that caused the outbreak in people in 2002 probably no longer exists in nature. What we need to prove for any vaccine, therapeutic, antibody, or drug is that it is effective not only against the strain of SARS virus isolated from people, but also against a variety of animal strains, because animals will be a likely source for re-emergence of the SARS virus."

When being asked by this correspondent Dr. John E. Niederhuber, M.D., the venerated Director of NCI said,   "Our researchers at NCI Frederick have an extraordinary breadth of expertise, ranging far beyond cancer to areas such as AIDS research, advanced biotechnology, and vaccine manufacturing." "We are realizing, as never before, that cancer is a model for many diseases, and NCI's research is a rich resource to our NIH colleagues and the biomedical research community at large," he concluded.