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SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The Department of Defense has awarded a San Diego biotech company up to million to help develop a next-generation drug to fight COVID-19.Sorrento Therapeutics calls the drug a “rapid countermeasure” against the disease, one that might serve as a vaccine substitute in certain populations or a critical stopgap tool if the virus mutates.“With this, we have a new platform potentially that can respond very quickly to any type of emerging threat,” said CEO Dr. Henry Ji.Sorrento is trying to become the first company to develop an approved DNA-encoded monoclonal antibody treatment. The approach is similar to the experimental monoclonal antibody treatment used on President Trump, but Sorrento’s concept is a more advanced version that offers several benefits.Sorrento’s drug is designed to be used as either a treatment in infected patients or a fast-forming layer of defense in healthy people. The company said its solution should be cheaper and easier to deploy than existing monoclonal antibodies, while offering vaccine-like protective effects that last for several months rather than just two or three weeks.Antibodies are one of the body’s key defense mechanisms. They seek out pathogens and bind to them, marking the invader for destruction like ground troops marking an enemy base for an airstrike. In some cases, antibodies can even neutralize an invader themselves by blocking its method of entry into cells.Monoclonal antibodies are antibodies designed by scientists to neutralize a pathogen. They are hand-picked, genetically modified super antibodies that are cloned in labs.However, the process of growing these super soldiers in the lab is difficult, transporting them requires a cold chain, and as a result, monoclonal antibodies are among the most expensive drugs in the world.Instead of giving people an infusion of pre-made antibodies, Sorrento’s idea is to give people a shot of DNA that instructs some of their cells to churn out perfectly pre-designed antibodies.“It's much easier to make enough DNA to treat a large number of people than it is to make enough protein to treat a large number of people. That’s just a fact about manufacturing,” said Dr. Robert Allen, Sorrento’s chief scientific officer on the project.Dr. Allen said the company is hopeful the drug will induce cells to make protective antibodies for six months or more.This DNA approach to an antibody treatment has never been approved for any disease but other companies are working on their own versions of it. Another biotech with ties to San Diego, Inovio Pharmaceuticals, became the first company to test this approach in humans in 2019 for a drug targeting the Zika virus.Sorrento’s approach is similar to the way DNA vaccines work, but it cuts out intermediary steps and jumpstarts the production of antibodies, rather than leaving the production of antibodies up to the body’s immune system. The result is that protective antibodies can start circulating in days after injection rather than weeks, the company said.“What this is capable of doing is it bypasses the need for the immune system,” said Dr. Mark Brunswick, Sorrento’s senior vice president for regulatory affairs.The drug is unlikely to replace a vaccine in most situations because vaccines can produce other defense mechanisms like T-cells that work in conjunction with antibodies. But the drug might work better than a vaccine for the elderly and others with weakened immune systems who are unable to produce a robust number of antibodies on their own, Brunswick said.Still, the company still has a lot of pre-clinical work and testing to go. Sorrento is hoping to have the drug ready for human trials in four to six months.By then, vaccines from Pfizer and Moderna will likely be widely available, but Dr. Ji said the world needs to prepare for the possibility this virus will mutate.“When you vaccinate hundreds of millions, potentially billions of people, the virus is under tremendous evolution pressure,” he said. “It will escape. It’s guaranteed that the virus is going to mutate and escape all of the vaccines we’re trying to create.”If it does, he said Sorrento will be ready to rapidly deploy its DNA-based countermeasure. 4223

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The brother of the man accused of fatally shooting a Good Samaritan on Interstate 15 in October has been arrested and will also be charged in connection with the murder.Edson Acuna, 24, was taken into custody in Mexico and turned over to U.S. authorities Tuesday, according to San Diego Police. Acuna's brother, Brandon, was arrested shortly after 21-year-old Curtis Adams was shot and killed on I-15 during the early hours of Oct. 27.Adams, a San Diego Navy sailor, and his girlfriend had stopped their vehicle on southbound I-15 just before 2:30 a.m. to check on an apparent stranded vehicle near the Mountain View area, said San Diego police homicide Lt. Anthony Dupree. RELATED: Good Samaritan shot to death on freewaySuspect in shooting of Navy sailor on San Diego freeway has criminal historyNavy sailor remembered in vigilAdams exited his vehicle and approached the other car when someone in the vehicle opened fire on him and fled the scene. He was taken to UCSD Medical Center where he died of his injuries.Police said Tuesday a warrant was issued for Acuna's arrest after his brother's arrest, but authorities believed he had fled to Mexico.Both Acuna brothers are suspected in another shooting that happened about 10 minutes prior to Adams' murder. In that shooting, a victim interrupted his vehicle being broken into and was shot at, but survived. 1386

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — The next great food craze could come from the waters of the San Diego Bay. A pair of scientists is planting a seaweed farm in the bay, to test the plant's marketability for use as food, animal feed, fertilizer, and bio-fuel."Kelp is the new kale," says Torre Polizzi, one of the owners of Sunken Seaweed.Polizzi and his partner Leslie Booher just got a 7,000 grant from the Port of San Diego to start a test-farm in the bay. They'll get 4,000 square feet of water off the end of the Grape Street Pier to use for their plants.RELATED: Drone testing gives boost to Chula Vista economyIt's part of the Port's "Blue Economy" project, which is designed to help incubate new businesses along the waterfront."San Diego needs to take notice of the ocean economy," says Port CEO Rafel Castellanos. "We're incredibly optimistic, we believe in ocean optimism, and we're looking forward to really developing this sector."The seaweed industry can be incredibly lucrative. It's worth billion in the US already, and market experts expect that to more than double by 2025.RELATED: San Diego startup to challenge Uber, Lyft in rideshare service"We've already had great success with local chefs," says Booher. "They're wildly supportive of using kelp and seaweed in their dishes."The farm will be entirely underwater and be filled with several species of seaweed. Booher and Polizzi say they want to use the next year to determine the best way to grow kelp. "I hope we can create something out of nothing," says Polizzi. "Right now it's just a muddy-bottomed area by a pier. Hopefully, in a year's time, we'll see a nice little ecosystem while also creating an economy around that." 1718

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The man accused of opening fire into a Hillcrest business has been found incompetent to stand trial. Stefano Markell Parker, 29, was facing attempted murder charges in San Diego in connection with the shooting at Golden Dragon Asian Bistro in February of 2019. Witnesses in the area that night described a man they say stood outside the restaurant armed with a rifle and opened fire. No one was shot. RELATED: San Diego police arrest man suspected of shooting into Asian Bistro restaurant in HillcrestAfter the shooting, witnesses described seeing the suspect shooter walk away. Witnesses say the gunman then changed clothes, providing a description. Police arrested Parker in the area later in the night. A spokesperson at the Jefferson County Jail in Alabama previously confirmed to 10News that Parker was in custody in recent years. In 2016, he was arrested in Alabama for possession of marijuana and drug trafficking charges. In 2017, he faced charges of distributing methamphetamine and possession of marijuana. Court records also show that Parker faced capital murder charges when he was a teenager in connection with a shooting from a vehicle. RELATED: Team 10: Suspected Hillcrest shooter faced murder charges in AlabamaA spokesperson with the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office said he pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to twenty years, but part of the sentence was suspended. He served four years. 1461

SAN DIEGO (KGTV) -- The all-clear was given after a suspicious device forced the evacuation of a building at San Diego City College Monday. The device was reported Monday afternoon in or near Building A, according to the school. The building serves as administrative offices. The college says no classes were affected by the evacuation. The building, as well as a cafeteria will remain closed for the remainder of the day. 431

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