Neutralizing Monoclonal Antibodies Against SARS-CoV-2
SUMMARY
- The landscape of SARS-CoV-2 is experiencing a novel development of viral variants harboring mutations that can escape even the most highly potent antibodies against the receptor binding domain. These variants exhibit increased viral transmissibility and a partial evasion of immunity that is induced by natural infection and vaccination.
- Recent studies have found it critical to induce antibodies that target multiple distinct epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 spike to neutralize emerging variants of concern (VOCs) and avoid the probable generation of escape mutants that can evade antibodies against any one epitope.
- The faculty inventor has generated monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from convalescent donors that bound three distinct domains of the SARS-CoV-2 spike. A subset of these mAbs neutralize SARS-CoV-2 and VOCs against three different regions of the spike protein. These results emphasize that patients who were exposed to the first pandemic wave of SARS-CoV-2 possess neutralizing antibodies against current variants.
- Natural infection by SARS-CoV-2 induces effective cross-neutralization against some VOCs but ultimately supports the need for COVID-19 vaccination for robust induction of neutralizing antibodies. By targeting multiple epitopes these neutralizing antibodies increase the affinity and frequency of antibodies that enhance the breadth of protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.
FIGURE
ADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES
- Viral defense
- Targeting multiple epitopes provides optimal protection against emerging SARS-CoV-2 VOCs
APPLICATIONS
- Next-generation vaccine strategies against SARS-CoV-2 variants