This 'super antibody' against COVID fights off multiple coronaviruses

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-021-01917-9

Explanation

Scientists today reported the discovery of an antibody that can fight off not only the SARS-CoV-2 variant, but also related coronaviruses.

The researchers looked at 12 antibodies in people who had recovered from COVID-19 infection by VirBiotechnology, a company based in San Francisco, California. The antibodies latched onto a fragment of the viral protein that binds to a receptor on human cells, and many antibody therapies against SARS-CoV-2 infection get the same protein fragment, called the receptor binding domain. We have compiled thousands of mutations in the binding domains of multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants and catalogued mutations in the binding domains of dozens of SARS-CoV-2-like coronaviruses that belong to a group called salvecoviruses. We then assessed the impact of all these mutations on the ability of 12 antibodies to attach to the binding domain.

Starr said that molecules targeting this binding domain region have the potential to generate protection against multiple viruses and could one day be used in a pan-sarvecovirus vaccine. The other 11 antibodies have been used in various vaccines.

And while the other 11 antibodies may target a variety of viruses, the range of viruses to which they can bind is likely to be narrow, with antibodies effectively blocking the earliest SARS-CoV-2 strains from entering cells. The team found that the antibodies can disable a wide variety of viruses by targeting a section of the binding domain that tends to remain unchanged as viruses evolve.