LY-CoV555, a rapidly isolated potent neutralizing antibody, provides protection in a non-human primate model of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 poses a public health threat for which therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Herein, we report that high-throughput microfluidic screening of antigen-specific B-cells led to the identification of LY-CoV555, a potent anti-spike neutralizing antibody from a convalescent COVID-19 patient. Biochemical, structural, and functional characterization revealed high-affinity binding to the receptor-binding domain, ACE2 binding inhibition, and potent neutralizing activity. In a rhesus macaque challenge model, prophylaxis doses as low as 2.5 mg/kg reduced viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract. These data demonstrate that high-throughput screening can lead to the identification of a potent antiviral antibody that protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY:

LY-CoV555, an anti-spike antibody derived from a convalescent COVID-19 patient, potently neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 and protects the upper and lower airways of non-human primates against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

• Authors: Bryan E Jones, Patricia L Brown-Augsburger, Kizzmekia S Corbett, Kathryn Westendorf, Julian Davies, Thomas P Cujec, Christopher M Wiethoff, Jamie L Blackbourne, Beverly A Heinz, Denisa Foster, Richard E Higgs, Deepa Balasubramaniam, Lingshu Wang, Roza Bidshahri, Lucas Kraft, Yuri Hwang, Stefanie Žentelis, Kevin R Jepson, Rodrigo Goya, Maia A Smith, David W Collins, Samuel J Hinshaw, Sean A Tycho, Davide Pellacani, Ping Xiang, Krithika Muthuraman, Solmaz Sobhanifar, Marissa H Piper, Franz J Triana, Jorg Hendle, Anna Pustilnik, Andrew C Adams, Shawn J Berens, Ralph S Baric, David R Martinez, Robert W Cross, Thomas W Geisbert, Viktoriya Borisevich, Olubukola Abiona, Hayley M Belli, Maren de Vries, Adil Mohamed, Meike Dittmann, Marie Samanovic, Mark J Mulligan, Jory A Goldsmith, Ching-Lin Hsieh, Nicole V Johnson, Daniel Wrapp, Jason S McLellan, Bryan C Barnhart, Barney S Graham, John R Mascola, Carl L Hansen, Ester Falconer
• Journal: bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology (bioRxiv) (Oct 09 2020) United States
• PMID: 33024963 (Publication Type: Preprint)