Scientists have taken an important step toward creating universal antibodies against COVID-19 by developing a new human monoclonal antibody that could be part of a universal antibody cocktail effective against all strains of SARS-CoV-2.
The study, conducted by a consortium of scientists from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Columbia University, showed that the 1301B7 antibody targets the receptor region of the spike protein, which is responsible for the ability of the virus to bind to and enter the cell. This discovery could be key in the fight against future strains of the virus.
Antibody 1301B7 is a receptor-binding antibody, meaning it targets the part of the spike protein responsible for the virus’ interaction with cells. The antibody’s targeted approach is to block the virus before it can infect a cell. “The antibody binds to multiple positions in the receptor binding region, which is thought to allow it to tolerate variations that occur in that region as the virus continues to evolve,” says James Coby, Ph.D., associate professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. and co-author of the study.
The monoclonal antibody was developed based on antibodies that a team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham isolated from patients infected with the Omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2. Teams from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute and Columbia University tested the antibody against several variants, including the original SARS-CoV-2 strain isolated in China, Omicron JN.1, and SARS-CoV. In 2022, researchers described a monoclonal antibody that targets another part of the spike protein, called the stalk. The researchers’ next step will be to study the effect of the combination of these two antibodies, which attack the virus from different sides and prevent it from escaping neutralization.