Since last month, health authorities in South Korea and China have been on high alert as they try to contain the outbreak of the deadly Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). At least four people have died from the virus recently, and up to 41 people have been infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention of South Korea. While there are no known vaccines or drugs for MERS at the moment, Chinese researchers may be close to developing one.

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According to Want China Times, researchers at the Chinese Academy of Science's (CAS) Institute of Microbiology have been attempting to develop antibodies and drugs against the virus. So far, the researchers have reportedly been able to decipher how the virus attacks cells and have used this knowledge to create antibodies that have been effective on mice. 

However, they are yet to test the antibodies on a human host. The researchers, who published their findings in the scientific journal Nature, have noted that further research is required before trials on humans can begin.

Meanwhile, other researchers at Fudan University have also made applaudable strides in regards to developing antobodies and a drug for MERS. Recently, two researchers from the Fudan University team revealed that they have developed an antibody (m336) and a chemical compound (HR2P-M2), which have both been efficacious against MERS. 

According to a report by ECNS, which quotes excerpts from an interview between these two researchers and China Science Daily, the (m336) antibody has successfully destroyed active MERS virus in laboratory tests. The (HR2P-M2) compound, on the other hand, was reportedly developed for high-risk people who come into contact with MERS patients. 

Jiang Shibo, head of the research team, told China Daily that the (HR2P-M2) polypeptide compound could be used in the form of a nasal spray by medical staff and relatives of infected patients. He also noted that the compound could be administered to MERS patients to reduce their chances of infecting others.

About 1,369 people have been put under quarantine in South Korea after they came into contact with MERS patients. In Guandgong, health authorities say all 78 people who came into contact with a MERS patient from South Korea are under observation. According to CNN, the rate of new MERS infections in South Korea has come as a surprise to the authorities because the virus was not known to be easily transmitted between humans. 

Thus far, South Korea is the only non-Middle Eastern country with one of the highest number of MERS infections in the world. According to Korea Times, some experts have noted that the high rate of MERS infections in South Korea may be because Koreans are more genetically susceptible to becoming infected with the virus.  There is also a possibility, according to Moon Hyung-pyo, South Korea's Health and Welfare Minister, that the MERS virus has mutated. However, at this point, there is very little empirical evidence to back up any of these claims.

Another study that promises to find a cure for MERS is being conducted by researchers at Harvard Medical School's Dana-Faber Cancer Institute. According to the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy, the researchers have found seven antibodies that are effective in neutralising MERS from the Dana-Faber collection of 27 million antibodies. However, the researchers are yet to test the antibodies on mice and human subjects. 

TagsMiddle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), HR2P-M2 compound, m336 antibody, MERS Outbreak South Korea, MERS Virus China, MERS Virus Vaccine China