PNAS Paper Details Efficacy of a Potent, Fully Human Antibody for the Treatment of MERS
Humabs BioMed SA announced that Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has published a paper describing the isolation and characterization of a potent antibody from memory B-cells of a patient recovering from an infection with coronavirus (CoV) and the resulting Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). The antibody, which was isolated from the infected individual two years ago, is active against all three clinically relevant MERS-CoV strains and against a site that is conserved in all MERS strains, including the strain responsible for the latest outbreak in South Korea. Humabs has developed a production cell line allowing – depending on regulatory clearance - the antibody either to be made available on the basis of a compassionate use program or to enter Phase I trials within a few months.
The human monoclonal antibody, code-named LCA60, binds to a novel, evolutionary highly conserved site on the Coronavirus spike protein. Thereby, it interferes with the binding of the virus to the receptor CD26 on target cells of the respiratory tract. LCA60 is highly effective both in prophylaxis and therapy in relevant preclinical models.
The initial screening, discovery and isolation of the anti-MERS LCA60 antibody was a joint effort of Public Health England (PHE, London, UK), the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, Bellinzona, Switzerland) affiliated to the Università della Svizzera italiana, the Department of Critical Care of the St Thomas' Hospital (London, UK) and Humabs BioMed. Using the Cellclone technology developed by Prof. Antonio Lanzavecchia, which Humabs has exclusively licensed from the IRB, it took only five weeks to functionally select, clone and sequence LCA60 from the initial screening of human B cells derived from a convalescent patient, and an additional three months to develop a stable CHO cell line for manufacturing.
For the further characterization and testing of LCA60, Humabs BioMed collaborated with the University of Iowa (Iowa City, IA, USA) and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, (Chapel Hill, NC, USA). The antibody will be made available on a non-profit basis.
“Our antibody was tested against 3 relevant strains and, according to our analysis on the epitope, it is active against all MERS isolates, including the last ones from the South Korean outbreak,” said Davide Corti, CSO of Humabs. “This last outbreak highlighted the importance of the spread of the virus in the hospital settings followed by a quarantine of large number of people at risk of exposure, so it is important to note that our antibody can also be administered pre-exposure to protect clinical personnel and caregivers.”
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Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous
Topic world Antibodies
Antibodies are specialized molecules of our immune system that can specifically recognize and neutralize pathogens or foreign substances. Antibody research in biotech and pharma has recognized this natural defense potential and is working intensively to make it therapeutically useful. From monoclonal antibodies used against cancer or autoimmune diseases to antibody-drug conjugates that specifically transport drugs to disease cells - the possibilities are enormous
