tetano
Editor, Senior Moderator
Sci Transl Med
. 2025 Mar 5;17(788):eadq5720.
doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq5720. Epub 2025 Mar 5. Bispecific antibodies targeting the N-terminal and receptor binding domains potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Adonis A Rubio[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Viren A Baharani[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Bernadeta Dadonaite[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Megan Parada[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Morgan E Abernathy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zijun Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yu E Lee[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michael R Eso[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jennie Phung[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Israel Ramos[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Teresia Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gina El Nesr[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jesse D Bloom[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Paul D Bieniasz[SUP] 3 6 [/SUP], Michel C Nussenzweig[SUP] 4 6 [/SUP], Christopher O Barnes[SUP] 2 7 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
The ongoing emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) that reduce the effectiveness of antibody therapeutics necessitates development of next-generation antibody modalities that are resilient to viral evolution. Here, we characterized amino-terminal domain (NTD)- and receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific monoclonal antibodies previously isolated from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent donors for their activity against emergent SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Among these, the NTD-specific antibody C1596 displayed the greatest breadth of binding to VOCs, with cryo-electron microscopy structural analysis revealing recognition of a distinct NTD epitope outside of the site i antigenic supersite. Given C1596's favorable binding profile, we designed a series of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs), termed CoV2-biRNs, that featured both NTD and RBD specificities. Two of the C1596-inclusive bsAbs, CoV2-biRN5 and CoV2-biRN7, retained potent in vitro neutralization activity against all Omicron variants tested, including XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1, contrasting the diminished potency of parental antibodies delivered as monotherapies or as a cocktail. Furthermore, prophylactic delivery of CoV2-biRN5 reduced the viral load within the lungs of K18-hACE2 mice after challenge with SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5. In conclusion, NTD-RBD bsAbs offer promising potential for the design of resilient, next-generation antibody therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.
. 2025 Mar 5;17(788):eadq5720.
doi: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq5720. Epub 2025 Mar 5. Bispecific antibodies targeting the N-terminal and receptor binding domains potently neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern
Adonis A Rubio[SUP] 1 2 [/SUP], Viren A Baharani[SUP] 3 4 [/SUP], Bernadeta Dadonaite[SUP] 5 [/SUP], Megan Parada[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Morgan E Abernathy[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Zijun Wang[SUP] 4 [/SUP], Yu E Lee[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Michael R Eso[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Jennie Phung[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Israel Ramos[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Teresia Chen[SUP] 2 [/SUP], Gina El Nesr[SUP] 1 [/SUP], Jesse D Bloom[SUP] 5 6 [/SUP], Paul D Bieniasz[SUP] 3 6 [/SUP], Michel C Nussenzweig[SUP] 4 6 [/SUP], Christopher O Barnes[SUP] 2 7 8 [/SUP]
Affiliations
- PMID: 40043139
- DOI: 10.1126/scitranslmed.adq5720
The ongoing emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants of concern (VOCs) that reduce the effectiveness of antibody therapeutics necessitates development of next-generation antibody modalities that are resilient to viral evolution. Here, we characterized amino-terminal domain (NTD)- and receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific monoclonal antibodies previously isolated from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) convalescent donors for their activity against emergent SARS-CoV-2 VOCs. Among these, the NTD-specific antibody C1596 displayed the greatest breadth of binding to VOCs, with cryo-electron microscopy structural analysis revealing recognition of a distinct NTD epitope outside of the site i antigenic supersite. Given C1596's favorable binding profile, we designed a series of bispecific antibodies (bsAbs), termed CoV2-biRNs, that featured both NTD and RBD specificities. Two of the C1596-inclusive bsAbs, CoV2-biRN5 and CoV2-biRN7, retained potent in vitro neutralization activity against all Omicron variants tested, including XBB.1.5, BA.2.86, and JN.1, contrasting the diminished potency of parental antibodies delivered as monotherapies or as a cocktail. Furthermore, prophylactic delivery of CoV2-biRN5 reduced the viral load within the lungs of K18-hACE2 mice after challenge with SARS-CoV-2 XBB.1.5. In conclusion, NTD-RBD bsAbs offer promising potential for the design of resilient, next-generation antibody therapeutics against SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.