Neutralizing antibodies in the battle against COVID-19

Date:
July 8, 2020
Source:
German Center for Infection Research
Summary:
An important line of defense against SARS-CoV-2 is the formation of
neutralizing antibodies. These can eliminate the intruders and have
great potential to be used for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-
2 infection. Researchers have elucidated how these antibodies
develop and have isolated potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
An important line of defence in the fight against the new corona
virus SARS- CoV-2 is the formation of neutralising antibodies. These
can eliminate the intruders and have great potential to be used for
prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection.


==========================================================================
A team of researchers led by Prof. Florian Klein (Cologne University
Hospital) and the German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) has
further elucidated how these antibodies develop and has isolated potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Together with Boehringer Ingelheim,
the researchers are currently characterizing and developing these
antibodies further. It is expected that they will enter the stage of
clinical development later this year. The results were published today
(July 07, 2020) in the journal Cell.

"Our goal was to better understand the immune response to SARS-CoV-2
and to identify highly potent antibodies that could be used to prevent
and treat COVID-19," explained Prof. Klein, Director of the Institute of Virology at the Cologne University Hospital and Principal Investigator
at the DZIF. "We assume that such antibodies are effective for several
weeks and may protect against COVID-19 during this period," added
Dr. Christoph Kreer, who conducted the work together with Dr. Matthias
Zehner in Cologne.

In close collaboration with scientists from Marburg, Frankfurt, Munich, Tu"bingen and Israel, the researchers investigated the SARS-CoV-2
antibody response in twelve individuals recovered from COVID-19. They
examined more than 4000 SARS-CoV-2-specific B cells on a single cell
level and were able to partly decode the humoral immune response to
SARS-CoV-2. They reconstructed 255 antibodies in the laboratory, which
were examined by Prof. Stephan Becker's laboratory in Marburg for their
ability to neutralise the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In total, 28 neutralising antibodies were found.

"Interestingly, many antibodies showed only a small number of
mutations. This means that only minor changes were necessary to
effectively recognise and neutralise the virus" says Dr. Zehner. In fact,
in blood samples collected before the pandemic, the scientists found B
cells carrying similar antibody characteristics to those of SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibodies. This may suggest that SARS-CoV-2 antibodies can
be readily formed and that an active vaccine may provide rapid protection.

The antibodies have been developed for protecting against and treating
COVID- 19. In addition, these antibodies could be used for 'post-exposure prophylaxis.

Here antibodies would be applied after contact with an infected
individual.

"This form of intervention could be of particularly interest for stopping localised outbreaks and for preventing disease progression in people
at risk," said Prof. Klein. The scientists expect that first clinical
trials will be performed at the end of 2020.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by
German_Center_for_Infection_Research. Note: Content may be edited for
style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Christoph Kreer, Matthias Zehner, Timm Weber, Meryem S. Ercanoglu,
Lutz
Gieselmann, Cornelius Rohde, Sandro Halwe, Michael Korenkov,
Philipp Schommers, Kanika Vanshylla, Veronica Di Cristanziano,
Hanna Janicki, Reinhild Brinker, Artem Ashurov, Verena Kra"hling,
Alexandra Kupke, Hadas Cohen-Dvashi, Manuel Koch, Jan Mathis Eckert,
Simone Lederer, Nico Pfeifer, Timo Wolf, Maria J.G.T. Vehreschild,
Clemens Wendtner, Ron Diskin, Henning Gruell, Stephan Becker,
Florian Klein. Longitudinal isolation of potent near-germline
SARS-CoV-2-neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients. Cell,
July 7, 2020; DOI: 10.1016/j.cell.2020.06.044 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200708105917.htm

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