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Prophylactic and postexposure efficacy of a potent human monoclonal antibody against MERS coronavirus
Journal article   Open access   Peer reviewed

Prophylactic and postexposure efficacy of a potent human monoclonal antibody against MERS coronavirus

Davide Corti, Jincun Zhao, Mattia Pedotti, Luca Simonelli, Sudhakar Agnihothram, Craig Fett, Blanca Fernandez-Rodriguez, Mathilde Foglierini, Gloria Agatic, Fabrizia Vanzetta, …
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, Vol.112(33), pp.10473-10478
08/18/2015
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1510199112
PMCID: PMC4547275
PMID: 26216974
url
https://europepmc.org/articles/pmc4547275View
Published (Version of record) Open Access

Abstract

Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) is a highly lethal pulmonary infection caused by a previously unidentified coronavirus (CoV), likely transmitted to humans by infected camels. There is no licensed vaccine or antiviral for MERS, therefore new prophylactic and therapeutic strategies to combat human infections are needed. In this study, we describe, for the first time, to our knowledge, the isolation of a potent MERS-CoV-neutralizing antibody from memory B cells of an infected individual. The antibody, named LCA60, binds to a novel site on the spike protein and potently neutralizes infection of multiple MERS-CoV isolates by interfering with the binding to the cellular receptor CD26. Importantly, using mice transduced with adenovirus expressing human CD26 and infected with MERS-CoV, we show that LCA60 can effectively protect in both prophylactic and postexposure settings. This antibody can be used for prophylaxis, for postexposure prophylaxis of individuals at risk, or for the treatment of human cases of MERS-CoV infection. The fact that it took only 4 mo from the initial screening of B cells derived from a convalescent patient for the development of a stable chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line producing neutralizing antibodies at more than 5 g/L provides an example of a rapid pathway toward the generation of effective antiviral therapies against emerging viruses.
Cricetulus Dipeptidyl Peptidase 4 - chemistry Humans Middle Aged Molecular Conformation Molecular Sequence Data Male Antibodies, Neutralizing - immunology Female Binding Sites Antibodies, Monoclonal - immunology CHO Cells Amino Acid Sequence Cricetinae Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus - drug effects Coronavirus Infections - immunology Sequence Homology, Amino Acid Animals B-Lymphocytes - immunology Coronavirus Infections - virology Viral Vaccines Protein Binding Antibodies, Viral - immunology Immunologic Memory Mice Mice, Inbred BALB C Mutation Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus - chemistry

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