Ultrapotent and broad neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 variants by modular, tetravalent, bi-paratopic antibodies.

Abstract

Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that target the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have received emergency use approval for treatment of COVID-19. However, with the emergence of variants of concern, there is a need for new treatment options. We report a format that enables modular assembly of bi-paratopic tetravalent nAbs with antigen-binding sites from two distinct nAbs. The tetravalent nAb purifies in high yield and exhibits biophysical characteristics that are comparable to those of clinically used therapeutic antibodies. The tetravalent nAb binds to the spike protein trimer at least 100-fold more tightly than bivalent IgGs (apparent KD < 1 pM) and neutralizes a broad array of SARS-CoV-2 pseudoviruses, chimeric viruses, and authentic viral variants with high potency. Together, these results establish the tetravalent diabody-Fc-Fab as a robust, modular platform for rapid production of drug-grade nAbs with potencies and breadth of coverage that greatly exceed those of conventional bivalent IgGs.

• Authors: Shane Miersch, Nitin Sharma, Reza Saberianfar, Chao Chen, Francesca Caccuri, Alberto Zani, Arnaldo Caruso, James Brett Case, Michael S Diamond, Gaya K Amarasinghe, Giuseppe Novelli, Sachdev S Sidhu
• Journal: Cell reports (Cell Rep) Vol. 39 Issue 9 Pg. 110905 (05 31 2022) ISSN: 2211-1247 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 35617963 (Publication Type: Journal Article, Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't, Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural)
• Copyright: Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Chemical References

• Antibodies, Neutralizing
• Antibodies, Viral
• Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
• spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Topics

• Antibodies, Neutralizing
• Antibodies, Viral
• COVID-19
• Humans
• Neutralization Tests
• SARS-CoV-2
• Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus