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Development of Clinical-Stage Human Monoclonal Antibodies That Treat Advanced Ebola Virus Disease in Nonhuman Primates
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Development of Clinical-Stage Human Monoclonal Antibodies That Treat Advanced Ebola Virus Disease in Nonhuman Primates

Kristen E. Pascal, Drew Dudgeon, John C. Trefry, Manu Anantpadma, Yasuteru Sakurai, Charles D. Murin, Hannah L. Turner, Jeanette Fairhurst, Marcela Torres, Ashique Rafique, …
The Journal of infectious diseases, Vol.218(5), pp.S612-S626
12/15/2018
DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy285
PMCID: PMC6249601
PMID: 29860496
url
https://doi.org/10.1093/infdis/jiy285View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Background For most classes of drugs, rapid development of therapeutics to treat emerging infections is challenged by the timelines needed to identify compounds with the desired efficacy, safety, and pharmacokinetic profiles. Fully human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) provide an attractive method to overcome many of these hurdles to rapidly produce therapeutics for emerging diseases. Methods In this study, we deployed a platform to generate, test, and develop fully human antibodies to Zaire ebolavirus. We obtained specific anti-Ebola virus (EBOV) antibodies by immunizing VelocImmune mice that use human immunoglobulin variable regions in their humoral responses. Results Of the antibody clones isolated, 3 were selected as best at neutralizing EBOV and triggering FcRIIIa. Binding studies and negative-stain electron microscopy revealed that the 3 selected antibodies bind to non-overlapping epitopes, including a potentially new protective epitope not targeted by other antibody-based treatments. When combined, a single dose of a cocktail of the 3 antibodies protected nonhuman primates (NHPs) from EBOV disease even after disease symptoms were apparent. Conclusions This antibody cocktail provides complementary mechanisms of actions, incorporates novel specificities, and demonstrates high-level postexposure protection from lethal EBOV disease in NHPs. It is now undergoing testing in normal healthy volunteers in preparation for potential use in future Ebola epidemics.
Immunology Infectious Diseases Microbiology Life Sciences & Biomedicine Science & Technology

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