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Wang J, Shi B, Chen H, Yu M, Wang P, Qian Z, Hu K, Wang J. Engineered Multivalent Nanobodies Efficiently Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 Omicron Subvariants BA.1, BA.4/5, XBB.1 and BQ.1.1. Vaccines (Basel) 2024; 12:417. [PMID: 38675799 PMCID: PMC11054741 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines12040417] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/08/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Most available neutralizing antibodies are ineffective against highly mutated SARS-CoV-2 Omicron subvariants. Therefore, it is crucial to develop potent and broad-spectrum alternatives to effectively manage Omicron subvariants. Here, we constructed a high-diversity nanobody phage display library and identified nine nanobodies specific to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD). Five of them exhibited cross-neutralization activity against the SARS-CoV-2 wild-type (WT) strain and the Omicron subvariants BA.1 and BA.4/5, and one nanobody demonstrated marked efficacy even against the Omicron subvariants BQ.1.1 and XBB.1. To enhance the therapeutic potential, we engineered a panel of multivalent nanobodies with increased neutralizing potency and breadth. The most potent multivalent nanobody, B13-B13-B13, cross-neutralized all tested pseudoviruses, with a geometric mean of the 50% inhibitory concentration (GM IC50) value of 20.83 ng/mL. An analysis of the mechanism underlying the enhancement of neutralization breadth by representative multivalent nanobodies demonstrated that the strategic engineering approach of combining two or three nanobodies into a multivalent molecule could improve the affinity between a single nanobody and spike, and could enhance tolerance toward escape mutations such as R346T and N460K. Our engineered multivalent nanobodies may be promising drug candidates for treating and preventing infection with Omicron subvariants and even future variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiali Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Bingjie Shi
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Hanyi Chen
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Mengyuan Yu
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Peipei Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
| | - Zhaohui Qian
- NHC Key Laboratory of Systems Biology of Pathogens, Institute of Pathogen Biology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
| | - Keping Hu
- The Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100730, China
- Andes Antibody Technology Hengshui LL Company, Hengshui 053000, China
| | - Jianxun Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Beijing 100029, China
- Shenzhen Research Institute, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine, Shenzhen 518118, China
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2
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Mao J, Wang J, Zeb A, Cho KH, Jin H, Kim J, Lee O, Wang Y, No KT. Transformer-Based Molecular Generative Model for Antiviral Drug Design. J Chem Inf Model 2024; 64:2733-2745. [PMID: 37366644 PMCID: PMC11005037 DOI: 10.1021/acs.jcim.3c00536] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
Since the Simplified Molecular Input Line Entry System (SMILES) is oriented to the atomic-level representation of molecules and is not friendly in terms of human readability and editable, however, IUPAC is the closest to natural language and is very friendly in terms of human-oriented readability and performing molecular editing, we can manipulate IUPAC to generate corresponding new molecules and produce programming-friendly molecular forms of SMILES. In addition, antiviral drug design, especially analogue-based drug design, is also more appropriate to edit and design directly from the functional group level of IUPAC than from the atomic level of SMILES, since designing analogues involves altering the R group only, which is closer to the knowledge-based molecular design of a chemist. Herein, we present a novel data-driven self-supervised pretraining generative model called "TransAntivirus" to make select-and-replace edits and convert organic molecules into the desired properties for design of antiviral candidate analogues. The results indicated that TransAntivirus is significantly superior to the control models in terms of novelty, validity, uniqueness, and diversity. TransAntivirus showed excellent performance in the design and optimization of nucleoside and non-nucleoside analogues by chemical space analysis and property prediction analysis. Furthermore, to validate the applicability of TransAntivirus in the design of antiviral drugs, we conducted two case studies on the design of nucleoside analogues and non-nucleoside analogues and screened four candidate lead compounds against anticoronavirus disease (COVID-19). Finally, we recommend this framework for accelerating antiviral drug discovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jiashun Mao
- The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and
Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Jianmin Wang
- The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and
Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Amir Zeb
- Faculty
of Natural and Basic Sciences, University
of Turbat, Balochistan 92600, Pakistan
| | - Kwang-Hwi Cho
- School
of Systems Biomedical Science, Soongsil
University, Seoul 06978, Republic of Korea
| | - Haiyan Jin
- The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and
Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Jongwan Kim
- Department
of Biotechnology, Yonsei University, Seoul 03722, Republic of Korea
- Bioinformatics
and Molecular Design Research Center (BMDRC), Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Onju Lee
- The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and
Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
| | - Yunyun Wang
- School
of Pharmacy and Jiangsu Province Key Laboratory for Inflammation and
Molecular Drug Target, Nantong University, Nantong 226001, Jiangsu, P. R. China
| | - Kyoung Tai No
- The
Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Integrative Biotechnology and
Translational Medicine, Yonsei University, Incheon 21983, Republic of Korea
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3
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Chen Y, Zha J, Xu S, Shao J, Liu X, Li D, Zhang X. Structure-Based Optimization of One Neutralizing Antibody against SARS-CoV-2 Variants Bearing the L452R Mutation. Viruses 2024; 16:566. [PMID: 38675908 PMCID: PMC11053997 DOI: 10.3390/v16040566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/02/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) play an important role against SARS-CoV-2 infections. Previously, we have reported one potent receptor binding domain (RBD)-binding nAb Ab08 against the SARS-CoV-2 prototype and a panel of variants, but Ab08 showed much less efficacy against the variants harboring the L452R mutation. To overcome the antibody escape caused by the L452R mutation, we generated several structure-based Ab08 derivatives. One derivative, Ab08-K99E, displayed the mostly enhanced neutralizing potency against the Delta pseudovirus bearing the L452R mutation compared to the Ab08 and other derivatives. Ab08-K99E also showed improved neutralizing effects against the prototype, Omicron BA.1, and Omicron BA.4/5 pseudoviruses. In addition, compared to the original Ab08, Ab08-K99E exhibited high binding properties and affinities to the RBDs of the prototype, Delta, and Omicron BA.4/5 variants. Altogether, our findings report an optimized nAb, Ab08-K99E, against SARS-CoV-2 variants and demonstrate structure-based optimization as an effective way for antibody development against pathogens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yamin Chen
- Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Y.C.); (X.L.)
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; (S.X.); (J.S.)
| | - Jialu Zha
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China;
| | - Shiqi Xu
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; (S.X.); (J.S.)
- The CAS Key Laboratory of Receptor Research and State Key Laboratory of Drug Research, Shanghai Institute of Materia Medica, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 201210, China
| | - Jiang Shao
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; (S.X.); (J.S.)
| | - Xiaoshan Liu
- Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Y.C.); (X.L.)
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; (S.X.); (J.S.)
| | - Dianfan Li
- CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Cell Science, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China;
| | - Xiaoming Zhang
- Suzhou Medical College, Soochow University, Suzhou 215123, China; (Y.C.); (X.L.)
- Key Laboratory of Immune Response and Immunotherapy, Shanghai Institute of Immunity and Infection, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai 200031, China; (S.X.); (J.S.)
- Shanghai Sci-Tech Inno Center for Infection & Immunity, Shanghai 200052, China
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Zheng Z, Sun H, Hu X, Xuan Z, Fu M, Bai Y, Du Y, Liu B, Sui X, Zheng J, Shao C. Prevention and treatment strategies for kidney transplant recipients in the context of long-term existence of COVID-19. Front Med (Lausanne) 2024; 11:1287836. [PMID: 38633308 PMCID: PMC11021598 DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1287836] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 03/21/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The sudden outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in early 2020 posed a massive threat to human life and caused an economic upheaval worldwide. Kidney transplant recipients (KTRs) became susceptible to infection during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to their use of immunosuppressants, resulting in increased hospitalization and mortality rates. Although the current epidemic situation is alleviated, the long-term existence of COVID-19 still seriously threatens the life and health of KTRs with low immunity. The Omicron variant, a highly infectious but less-pathogenic strain of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), has raised concerns among transplant physicians regarding managing KTRs diagnosed with this variant. However, currently, there are no clear and unified guidelines for caring for KTRs infected with this variant. Therefore, we aimed to summarize the ongoing research on drugs that can treat Omicron variant infections in KTRs and explore the potential of adjusting immunotherapy strategies to enhance their responsiveness to vaccines. Herein, we discuss the situation of KTRs since the emergence of COVID-19 and focus on various prevention and treatment strategies for KTRs since the Omicron variant outbreak. We hope to assist physicians in managing KTRs in the presence of long-term COVID-19 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zeyuan Zheng
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Huimin Sun
- Central Laboratory, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiaoyan Hu
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Zuodong Xuan
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Meiling Fu
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yang Bai
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Yifan Du
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Bin Liu
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Xiuyuan Sui
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Jianzhong Zheng
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
| | - Chen Shao
- Department of Urology, Xiang’an Hospital of Xiamen University, School of Medicine, Xiamen University, Xiamen, China
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Hannula L, Kuivanen S, Lasham J, Kant R, Kareinen L, Bogacheva M, Strandin T, Sironen T, Hepojoki J, Sharma V, Saviranta P, Kipar A, Vapalahti O, Huiskonen JT, Rissanen I. Nanobody engineering for SARS-CoV-2 neutralization and detection. Microbiol Spectr 2024; 12:e0419922. [PMID: 38363137 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.04199-22] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/17/2022] [Accepted: 01/03/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the quest for coronavirus inhibitors has inspired research on a variety of small proteins beyond conventional antibodies, including robust single-domain antibody fragments, i.e., "nanobodies." Here, we explore the potential of nanobody engineering in the development of antivirals and diagnostic tools. Through fusion of nanobody domains that target distinct binding sites, we engineered multimodular nanobody constructs that neutralize wild-type SARS-CoV-2 and the Alpha and Delta variants at high potency, with IC50 values as low as 50 pM. Despite simultaneous binding to distinct epitopes, Beta and Omicron variants were more resistant to neutralization by the multimodular nanobodies, which highlights the importance of accounting for antigenic drift in the design of biologics. To further explore the applications of nanobody engineering in outbreak management, we present an assay based on fusions of nanobodies with fragments of NanoLuc luciferase that can detect sub-nanomolar quantities of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein in a single step. Our work showcases the potential of nanobody engineering to combat emerging infectious diseases. IMPORTANCE Nanobodies, small protein binders derived from the camelid antibody, are highly potent inhibitors of respiratory viruses that offer several advantages over conventional antibodies as candidates for specific therapies, including high stability and low production costs. In this work, we leverage the unique properties of nanobodies and apply them as building blocks for new therapeutic and diagnostic tools. We report ultra-potent SARS-CoV-2 inhibition by engineered nanobodies comprising multiple modules in structure-guided combinations and develop nanobodies that carry signal molecules, allowing rapid detection of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Our results highlight the potential of engineered nanobodies in the development of effective countermeasures, both therapeutic and diagnostic, to manage outbreaks of emerging viruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Liina Hannula
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Suvi Kuivanen
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jonathan Lasham
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ravi Kant
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Tropical Parasitology, Institute of Maritime and Tropical Medicine, Medical University of Gdansk, Gdynia, Poland
| | - Lauri Kareinen
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Mariia Bogacheva
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Institute for Molecular Medicine Finland (FIMM), Helsinki Institute of Life Sciences (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tomas Strandin
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Tarja Sironen
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Jussi Hepojoki
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Vivek Sharma
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Physics, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Petri Saviranta
- VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland Ltd., Espoo, Finland
| | - Anja Kipar
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Laboratory for Animal Model Pathology, Institute of Veterinary Pathology, Vetsuisse Faculty, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Infection Biology and Microbiomes, Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, United Kingdom
| | - Olli Vapalahti
- Department of Virology, Medicum, Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- Department of Veterinary Biosciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
- HUSLAB, Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Juha T Huiskonen
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Ilona Rissanen
- Institute of Biotechnology, Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
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Lorca VAB, Ávalos-Ovando O, Sikeler C, Ijäs H, Santiago EY, Skelton E, Wang Y, Yang R, Cimatu KLA, Baturina O, Wang Z, Liu J, Slocik JM, Wu S, Ma D, Pastukhov AI, Kabashin AV, Kordesch ME, Govorov AO. Lateral Flow Assays Biotesting by Utilizing Plasmonic Nanoparticles Made of Inexpensive Metals - Replacing Colloidal Gold. bioRxiv 2024:2024.01.08.574723. [PMID: 38260353 PMCID: PMC10802436 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.08.574723] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Nanoparticles (NPs) can be conjugated with diverse biomolecules and employed in biosensing to detect target analytes in biological samples. This proven concept was primarily used during the COVID-19 pandemic with gold NPs-based lateral flow assays (LFAs). Considering the gold price and its worldwide depletion, here we show that novel plasmonic nanoparticles (NPs) based on inexpensive metals, titanium nitride (TiN) and copper covered with a gold shell (Cu@Au), perform comparable or even better than gold nanoparticles. After conjugation, these novel nanoparticles provided high figures of merit for LFA testing, such as high signals and specificity and robust naked-eye signal recognition. To the best of our knowledge, our study represents the 1st application of laser-ablation-fabricated nanoparticles (TiN) in the LFA and dot-blot biotesting. Since the main cost of the Au NPs in commercial testing kits is in the colloidal synthesis, our development with TiN is very exciting, offering potentially very inexpensive plasmonic nanomaterials for various bio-testing applications. Moreover, our machine learning study showed that the bio-detection with TiN is more accurate than that with Au.
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Arevalo-Romero JA, Chingaté-López SM, Camacho BA, Alméciga-Díaz CJ, Ramirez-Segura CA. Next-generation treatments: Immunotherapy and advanced therapies for COVID-19. Heliyon 2024; 10:e26423. [PMID: 38434363 PMCID: PMC10907543 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e26423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), emerged in 2019 following prior outbreaks of coronaviruses like SARS and MERS in recent decades, underscoring their high potential of infectivity in humans. Insights from previous outbreaks of SARS and MERS have played a significant role in developing effective strategies to mitigate the global impact of SARS-CoV-2. As of January 7, 2024, there have been 774,075,242 confirmed cases of COVID-19 worldwide. To date, 13.59 billion vaccine doses have been administered, and there have been 7,012,986 documented fatalities (https://www.who.int/) Despite significant progress in addressing the COVID-19 pandemic, the rapid evolution of SARS-CoV-2 challenges human defenses, presenting ongoing global challenges. The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 lineages, shaped by mutation and recombination processes, has led to successive waves of infections. This scenario reveals the need for next-generation vaccines as a crucial requirement for ensuring ongoing protection against SARS-CoV-2. This demand calls for formulations that trigger a robust adaptive immune response without leading the acute inflammation linked with the infection. Key mutations detected in the Spike protein, a critical target for neutralizing antibodies and vaccine design -specifically within the Receptor Binding Domain region of Omicron variant lineages (B.1.1.529), currently dominant worldwide, have intensified concerns due to their association with immunity evasion from prior vaccinations and infections. As the world deals with this evolving threat, the narrative extends to the realm of emerging variants, each displaying new mutations with implications that remain largely misunderstood. Notably, the JN.1 Omicron lineage is gaining global prevalence, and early findings suggest it stands among the immune-evading variants, a characteristic attributed to its mutation L455S. Moreover, the detrimental consequences of the novel emergence of SARS-CoV-2 lineages bear a particularly critical impact on immunocompromised individuals and older adults. Immunocompromised individuals face challenges such as suboptimal responses to COVID-19 vaccines, rendering them more susceptible to severe disease. Similarly, older adults have an increased risk of severe disease and the presence of comorbid conditions, find themselves at a heightened vulnerability to develop COVID-19 disease. Thus, recognizing these intricate factors is crucial for effectively tailoring public health strategies to protect these vulnerable populations. In this context, this review aims to describe, analyze, and discuss the current progress of the next-generation treatments encompassing immunotherapeutic approaches and advanced therapies emerging as complements that will offer solutions to counter the disadvantages of the existing options. Preliminary outcomes show that these strategies target the virus and address the immunomodulatory responses associated with COVID-19. Furthermore, the capacity to promote tissue repair has been demonstrated, which can be particularly noteworthy for immunocompromised individuals who stand as vulnerable actors in the global landscape of coronavirus infections. The emerging next-generation treatments possess broader potential, offering protection against a wide range of variants and enhancing the ability to counter the impact of the constant evolution of the virus. Furthermore, advanced therapies are projected as potential treatment alternatives for managing Chronic Post-COVID-19 syndromeand addressing its associated long-term complications.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Andrea Arevalo-Romero
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia, Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud, IDCBIS, 111611, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
- Instituto de Errores Innatos del Metabolismo, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 110231, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
| | - Sandra M. Chingaté-López
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia, Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud, IDCBIS, 111611, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - Bernardo Armando Camacho
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia, Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud, IDCBIS, 111611, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
| | - Carlos Javier Alméciga-Díaz
- Instituto de Errores Innatos del Metabolismo, Facultad de Ciencias, Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, 110231, Bogotá, D.C., Colombia
| | - Cesar A. Ramirez-Segura
- Laboratorio de Investigación en Ingeniería Celular y Molecular, Instituto Distrital de Ciencia, Biotecnología e Innovación en Salud, IDCBIS, 111611, Bogotá, DC, Colombia
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Kim JW, Lee JH, Kim HJ, Heo K, Lee Y, Jang HJ, Lee HY, Park JW, Cho YB, Shin HG, Yang HR, Lee HE, Song JY, Lee S. Empowering SARS-CoV-2 variant neutralization with a bifunctional antibody engineered with tandem heptad repeat 2 peptides. J Med Virol 2024; 96:e29506. [PMID: 38445718 DOI: 10.1002/jmv.29506] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2023] [Revised: 01/28/2024] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
With the global pandemic and the continuous mutations of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the need for effective and broadly neutralizing treatments has become increasingly urgent. This study introduces a novel strategy that targets two aspects simultaneously, using bifunctional antibodies to inhibit both the attachment of SARS-CoV-2 to host cell membranes and viral fusion. We developed pioneering IgG4-(HR2)4 bifunctional antibodies by creating immunoglobulin G4-based and phage display-derived human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) that specifically bind to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain, engineered with four heptad repeat 2 (HR2) peptides. Our in vitro experiments demonstrate the superior neutralization efficacy of these engineered antibodies against various SARS-CoV-2 variants, ranging from original SARS-CoV-2 strain to the recently emerged Omicron variants, as well as SARS-CoV, outperforming the parental mAb. Notably, intravenous monotherapy with the bifunctional antibody neutralizes a SARS-CoV-2 variant in a murine model without causing significant toxicity. In summary, this study unveils the significant potential of HR2 peptide-driven bifunctional antibodies as a potent and versatile strategy for mitigating SARS-CoV-2 infections. This approach offers a promising avenue for rapid development and management in the face of the continuously evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants, holding substantial promise for pandemic control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Woong Kim
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hyun Lee
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jung Kim
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyun Heo
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Antibody Research Institute, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonwoo Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hui Jeong Jang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Young Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Won Park
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yea Bin Cho
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Gyeong Shin
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Rim Yang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hee Eon Lee
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jin Young Song
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukmook Lee
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Antibody Research Institute, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Ciaglia T, Vestuto V, Di Sarno V, Musella S, Smaldone G, Di Matteo F, Napolitano V, Miranda MR, Pepe G, Basilicata MG, Novi S, Capolupo I, Bifulco G, Campiglia P, Gomez-Monterrey I, Snoeck R, Andrei G, Manfra M, Ostacolo C, Lauro G, Bertamino A. Peptidomimetics as potent dual SARS-CoV-2 cathepsin-L and main protease inhibitors: In silico design, synthesis and pharmacological characterization. Eur J Med Chem 2024; 266:116128. [PMID: 38232463 DOI: 10.1016/j.ejmech.2024.116128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Revised: 12/11/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
In this paper we present the design, synthesis, and biological evaluation of a new series of peptidomimetics acting as potent anti-SARS-CoV-2 agents. Starting from our previously described Main Protease (MPro) and Papain Like Protease (PLPro) dual inhibitor, CV11, here we disclose its high inhibitory activity against cathepsin L (CTSL) (IC50 = 19.80 ± 4.44 nM), an emerging target in SARS-CoV-2 infection machinery. An in silico design, inspired by the structure of CV11, led to the development of a library of peptidomimetics showing interesting activities against CTSL and Mpro, allowing us to trace the chemical requirements for the binding to both enzymes. The screening in Vero cells infected with 5 different SARS-CoV-2 variants of concerns, highlighted sub-micromolar activities for most of the synthesized compounds (13, 15, 16, 17 and 31) in agreement with the enzymatic inhibition assays results. The compounds showed lack of activity against several different RNA viruses except for the 229E and OC43 human coronavirus strains, also characterized by a cathepsin-L dependent release into the host cells. The most promising derivatives were also evaluated for their chemical and metabolic in-vitro stability, with derivatives 15 and 17 showing a suitable profile for further preclinical characterization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Ciaglia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Vincenzo Vestuto
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Veronica Di Sarno
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Simona Musella
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Gerardina Smaldone
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Francesca Di Matteo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Valeria Napolitano
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Maria Rosaria Miranda
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Giacomo Pepe
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | | | - Sara Novi
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Ilaria Capolupo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Giuseppe Bifulco
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Pietro Campiglia
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy; European Biomedical Research Institute (EBRIS), Via S. De Renzi 50, 84125, Salerno, Italy
| | - Isabel Gomez-Monterrey
- Department of Pharmacy, University Federico II of Naples, Via D. Montesano 49, 80131, Naples, Italy
| | - Robert Snoeck
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, KU Leuven, BE-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Graciela Andrei
- Rega Institute for Medical Research, Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Transplantation, KU Leuven, BE-3000, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Michele Manfra
- Department of Science, University of Basilicata, Via Dell'Ateneo Lucano 10, 85100, Potenza, Italy
| | - Carmine Ostacolo
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy
| | - Gianluigi Lauro
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy.
| | - Alessia Bertamino
- Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, Via G. Paolo II 132, 84084, Fisciano, Salerno, Italy.
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Wendel SK, Wogu AF, Carlson NE, Beaty L, Bennett TD, Bookman K, Mayer DA, Michael SM, Molina KC, Peers JL, Russell S, Zane RD, Ginde AA. Effectiveness of subcutaneous monoclonal antibody treatment in emergency department outpatients with COVID-19. J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2024; 5:e13116. [PMID: 38384380 PMCID: PMC10879902 DOI: 10.1002/emp2.13116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2023] [Revised: 12/28/2023] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Objectives To evaluate whether subcutaneous neutralizing monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatment given in the emergency department (ED) setting was associated with reduced hospitalizations, mortality, and severity of disease when compared to nontreatment among mAb-eligible patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Methods This retrospective observational cohort study of ED patients utilized a propensity score-matched analysis to compare patients who received subcutaneous casirivimab and imdevimab mAb to nontreated COVID-19 control patients in November-December 2021. The primary outcome was all-cause hospitalization within 28 days, and secondary outcomes were 90-day hospitalization, 28- and 90-day mortality, and ED length of stay (LOS). Results Of 1340 patients included in the analysis, 490 received subcutaneous casirivimab and imdevimab, and 850 did not received them. There was no difference observed for 28-day hospitalization (8.4% vs. 10.6%; adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.79, 95% confidence intervals [CI] 0.53-1.17) or 90-day hospitalization (11.6% vs. 12.5%; aOR 0.93, 95% CI 0.65-1.31). However, mortality at both the 28-day and 90-day timepoints was substantially lower in the treated group (28-day 0.6% vs. 3.1%; aOR 0.18, 95% CI 0.08-0.41; 90-day 0.6% vs. 3.9%; aOR 0.14, 95% CI 0.06-0.36). Among hospitalized patients, treated patients had shorter hospital LOS (5.7 vs. 11.4 days; adjusted rate ratio [aRR] 0.47, 95% CI 0.33-0.69), shorter intensive care unit LOS (3.8 vs. 10.2 days; aRR 0.22, 95% CI 0.14-0.35), and the severity of hospitalization was lower (aOR 0.45, 95% CI 0.21-0.97) compared to untreated. Conclusions Among ED patients who presented for symptomatic COVID-19 during the Delta variant phase, ED subcutaneous casirivimab/imdevimab treatment was not associated with a decrease in hospitalizations. However, treatment was associated with lower mortality at 28 and 90 days, hospital LOS, and overall severity of illness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah K. Wendel
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Virginia School of MedicineCharlottesvilleVirginiaUSA
| | - Adane F. Wogu
- Department of Biostatistics and InformaticsColorado School of Public HealthAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Nichole E. Carlson
- Department of Biostatistics and InformaticsColorado School of Public HealthAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Laurel Beaty
- Department of Biostatistics and InformaticsColorado School of Public HealthAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Tellen D. Bennett
- Departments of Biomedical Informatics and PediatricsUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Kelly Bookman
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - David A. Mayer
- Department of Biostatistics and InformaticsColorado School of Public HealthAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Sean M. Michael
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Kyle C. Molina
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Jennifer L. Peers
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Seth Russell
- Departments of Biomedical Informatics and PediatricsUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
- Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences InstituteUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Richard D. Zane
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Adit A. Ginde
- Department of Emergency MedicineUniversity of Colorado School of MedicineAuroraColoradoUSA
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11
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Khan S, Bond SE, Lee-Milner J, Conway BR, Lattyak WJ, Aldeyab MA. Antimicrobial consumption in an acute NHS Trust during the COVID-19 pandemic: intervention time series analysis. JAC Antimicrob Resist 2024; 6:dlae013. [PMID: 38328263 PMCID: PMC10848649 DOI: 10.1093/jacamr/dlae013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Accepted: 01/11/2024] [Indexed: 02/09/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective To determine the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on antimicrobial consumption and trends of therapeutic drugs for COVID-19 treatments, including corticosteroids, remdesivir and monoclonal antibodies (tocilizumab) from April 2017 to September 2022 in a secondary care NHS Trust in England. Methods A retrospective intervention time series analysis was conducted for April 2017 to September 2022 at the Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust. Data were retrieved from the pharmacy dispensing system as defined daily doses (DDDs) monthly and reported per 1000 occupied bed days (OBDs). Antimicrobial consumption and COVID-19 treatment options were measured. DDDs were calculated according to the classification of antimicrobials for systemic use (J01) and for other drugs classification. Trends for antimicrobial consumption and other therapeutic drugs for treating COVID-19 were also determined in each wave in England. Results During the pandemic: total antibiotic consumption decreased from 826.4 to 728.2 DDDs per 1000 OBDs (P = 0.0067); piperacillin/tazobactam use increased (P < 0.0001) and ciprofloxacin use decreased (P < 0.0001); there were no changes in Access, Watch, Reserve antibiotic use, and the proportion of antifungal consumption was consistent throughout the study. The use of total antibiotics (P = 0.024), levofloxacin (P = 0.0007), piperacillin/tazobactam (P = 0.0015) and co-amoxiclav (P = 0.0198) increased during wave one. Consumption of COVID-19 treatment drugs was highest during wave two, with 624.3 DDDs per 1000 OBDs for dexamethasone (P = 0.4441), 6.8 DDDs per 1000 OBDs for remdesivir (P < 0.0001) and 35.01 DDDs per 1000 OBDs for tocilizumab (P = 0.2544). Discussion This study determined the consumption of antimicrobials trends before and during the pandemic. The individual wave antimicrobial consumption indicates maximum consumption in the first wave, advocating for antimicrobial stewardship and preparedness for future pandemics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sidra Khan
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - Stuart E Bond
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
- Pharmacy Department, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, Wakefield, WF1 4DG, UK
| | - Jade Lee-Milner
- Pharmacy Department, Mid Yorkshire Teaching NHS Trust, Wakefield, WF1 4DG, UK
| | - Barbara R Conway
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
- Institute of Skin Integrity and Infection Prevention, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
| | - William J Lattyak
- Statistical Consulting Department, Scientific Computing Associates Corp., River Forest, IL 60305, USA
| | - Mamoon A Aldeyab
- Department of Pharmacy, School of Applied Sciences, University of Huddersfield, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH, UK
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12
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Zyoud SH. Global landscape of COVID-19 research: a visualization analysis of randomized clinical trials. Clin Exp Med 2024; 24:14. [PMID: 38252392 PMCID: PMC10803477 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01254-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2023] [Accepted: 12/18/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024]
Abstract
The emergence of COVID-19 in 2019 has resulted in a significant global health crisis. Consequently, extensive research was published to understand and mitigate the disease. In particular, randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have been considered the benchmark for assessing the efficacy and safety of interventions. Hence, the present study strives to present a comprehensive overview of the global research landscape pertaining to RCTs and COVID-19. A bibliometric analysis was performed using the Scopus database. The search parameters included articles published from 2020 to 2022 using keywords specifically related to COVID-19 and RCTs. The data were analyzed using various bibliometric indicators. The volume of publications, contributions of countries and institutions, funding agencies, active journals, citation analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and future research direction analysis were specifically analyzed. A total of 223,480 research articles concerning COVID-19 were published, with 3,727 of them related to RCTs and COVID-19. The ten most productive countries collectively produced 75.8% of the documents, with the United States leading the way by contributing 31.77%, followed by the UK with 14.03% (n = 523), China with 12.96% (n = 483) and Canada with 7.16% (n = 267). Trials (n = 173, 4.64%), BMJ Open (n = 81, 2.17%), PLOS One (n = 73, 1.96%) and JAMA Network Open (n = 53, 1.42%) were the most active journals in publishing articles related to COVID-19 RCTs. The co-occurrence analysis identified four clusters of research areas: the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines, mental health strategies to cope with the impact of the pandemic, the use of monoclonal antibodies to treat patients with COVID-19, and systematic reviews and meta-analyses of COVID-19 research. This paper offers a detailed examination of the global research environment pertaining to RCTs and their use in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The comprehensive body of research findings was found to have been generated by the collaborative efforts of multiple countries, institutions, and funding organizations. The predominant research areas encompassed COVID-19 vaccines, strategies for mental health, monoclonal antibodies, and systematic reviews. This information has the potential to aid researchers, policymakers, and funders in discerning areas of weakness and establishing areas of priority.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sa'ed H Zyoud
- Department of Clinical and Community Pharmacy, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, An-Najah National University, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
- Clinical Research Centre, An-Najah National University Hospital, Nablus, 44839, Palestine.
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13
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Liu C, Shen W, Xie H, Li Y, Cui R, Wu R, Xiao L, Li J, Guo Y, Liao Y, Zhao C, Xu Y, Wang Q. Improving the detection capability and efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 RNA specimens by the specimen turn-around process with multi-department cooperation. Front Public Health 2024; 11:1294341. [PMID: 38249400 PMCID: PMC10796989 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2023.1294341] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Objective Improving the detection capability and efficiency of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) RNA specimens is very important for the prevention and control of the outbreak of Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). In this study, we evaluated the detection capability and efficiency of two outbreaks of COVID-19 before and after the process re-engineering in April and July 2022. Methods This retrospective cross-sectional study involved 359,845 SARS-CoV-2 RNA specimens 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after the two outbreaks of COVID-19 in April and July. The number, transportation time and detection time of specimens, and the number of reports of more than 24 h were analyzed by SPSS software. Results While 16.84% of people chose nasopharyngeal swabs (NPS) specimens, 83.16% chose oropharyngeal swabs (OPS) specimens to detect SARS-CoV-2 RNA. There were significant upward trends in the percentage of 10 sample pooling (P-10) from April before process re-engineering to July after process re-engineering (p < 0.001). Compared with April, the number of specimens in July increased significantly not only 2 weeks before but also 2 weeks after the outbreak of COVID-19, with an increase of 35.46 and 93.94%, respectively. After the process re-engineering, the number of reports more than 24 h in the 2 weeks before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 in July was significantly lower than that in April before process re-engineering (0% vs. 0.06% and 0 vs. 0.89%, both p < 0.001). Conclusion The present study shows that strengthening the cooperation of multi-departments in process re-engineering, especially using the P-10 strategy and whole process informatization can improve the detection capability and efficiency of SARS-CoV-2 RNA specimens.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chenggui Liu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Wei Shen
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Huiqiong Xie
- Departments of Nursing, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Ying Li
- Department of Specimen Sampling, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Rong Cui
- Department of Specimen Transportation, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Rongcheng Wu
- Department of Information Technology, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Li Xiao
- Department of Medical Administration, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Jing Li
- Department of Hospital Infection Control, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yanjun Guo
- Departments of Medical Equipment, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yi Liao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Chonghui Zhao
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Yunfei Xu
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Chengdu Women's and Children's Central Hospital, School of Medicine, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Qin Wang
- Department of Clinical Laboratory, Sichuan Province Orthopedic Hospital, Chengdu, China
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14
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Alfaleh MA, Alsulaiman RM, Almahboub SA, Nezamuldeen L, Zawawi A, Aljehani ND, Yasir M, Abdulal RH, Alkhaldi R, Helal A, Alamri SS, Malki J, Alhabbab RY, Abujamel TS, Alhakamy NA, Alnami A, Algaissi A, Hassanain M, Hashem AM. ACE2-Fc and DPP4-Fc decoy receptors against SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV variants: a quick therapeutic option for current and future coronaviruses outbreaks. Antib Ther 2024; 7:53-66. [PMID: 38371953 PMCID: PMC10873275 DOI: 10.1093/abt/tbad030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 12/03/2023] [Accepted: 12/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/20/2024] Open
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) and the Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) are highly pathogenic human coronaviruses (CoVs). Anti-CoVs mAbs and vaccines may be effective, but the emergence of neutralization escape variants is inevitable. Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 and dipeptidyl peptidase 4 enzyme are the getaway receptors for SARS-CoV-2 and MERS-CoV, respectively. Thus, we reformatted these receptors as Fc-fusion decoy receptors. Then, we tested them in parallel with anti-SARS-CoV (ab1-IgG) and anti-MERS-CoV (M336-IgG) mAbs against several variants using pseudovirus neutralization assay. The generated Fc-based decoy receptors exhibited a strong inhibitory effect against all pseudotyped CoVs. Results showed that although mAbs can be effective antiviral drugs, they might rapidly lose their efficacy against highly mutated viruses. We suggest that receptor traps can be engineered as Fc-fusion proteins for highly mutating viruses with known entry receptors, for a faster and effective therapeutic response even against virus harboring antibodies escape mutations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed A Alfaleh
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Reem M Alsulaiman
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sarah A Almahboub
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Leena Nezamuldeen
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Ayat Zawawi
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Najwa D Aljehani
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Muhammad Yasir
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rwaa H Abdulal
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rami Alkhaldi
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Assala Helal
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sawsan S Alamri
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Jana Malki
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Rowa Y Alhabbab
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Turki S Abujamel
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Nabil A Alhakamy
- Department of Pharmaceutics, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Aisha Alnami
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
| | - Abdullah Algaissi
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Laboratories Technology, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Jazan University, Jazan, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mazen Hassanain
- Department of Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
| | - Anwar M Hashem
- Vaccines and Immunotherapy Unit, King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
- Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21859, Saudi Arabia
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15
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Nader A, Alexander E, Brintziki D, Haggag AZ, Harrison SA, Hawes IA, Hezareh M, Lippa AM, Okamasa A, Okour M, Okuda N, Sager JE, Segal S, Shida Y, Skingsley A, Williams R, Yoon EY, Austin D. Pharmacokinetics, Safety, and Tolerability of Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Monoclonal Antibody, Sotrovimab, Delivered Intravenously or Intramuscularly in Japanese and Caucasian Healthy Volunteers. Clin Pharmacokinet 2024; 63:57-68. [PMID: 37955825 PMCID: PMC10786731 DOI: 10.1007/s40262-023-01319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE Sotrovimab 500 mg administered by a single intravenous (IV) infusion has been granted special approval for emergency use in Japan for treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection in adults and children aged ≥ 12 years weighing ≥ 40 kg. This Phase 1, single-dose study investigated the pharmacokinetics, safety, and tolerability of IV or intramuscular (IM) sotrovimab 500 mg doses versus placebo in healthy Japanese and Caucasian volunteers. METHODS This was a two-part, Phase 1, randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind study. In Part 1, participants received a single sotrovimab 500 mg IV infusion or matching placebo on Day 1. In Part 2, participants received a single sotrovimab 500 mg IM dose or matching placebo on Day 1, administered as two 4 mL injections. RESULTS There was no effect of ethnicity on the peak or total serum exposure of IV sotrovimab through Week 18; after adjusting for body weight, the point estimate and 90 % confidence interval for the ratio of total exposure between Japanese and Caucasian participants fell within conventional bioavailability bounds (80-125%). Geometric mean Cmax and AUClast following a single IM administration of sotrovimab were higher in Japanese participants compared with Caucasian participants, even after adjustment for body weight. Overall, a single IV or IM dose of sotrovimab was well tolerated by both Japanese and Caucasian participants. CONCLUSIONS After adjusting for body weight, exposures following a single IV dose of sotrovimab 500 mg were similar between Japanese and Caucasian participants, and higher in Japanese participants following IM administration. Higher exposures were not associated with any safety signals. TRIAL REGISTRATION ClinicalTrials.Gov: NCT04988152.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ahmed Nader
- Clinical Pharmacology Modelling and Simulation, GSK, Libertyville, IL, 60048, USA.
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16
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Patterson LD, Dubansky BD, Dubansky BH, Stone S, Kumar M, Rice CD. Generation and Characterization of a Multi-Functional Panel of Monoclonal Antibodies for SARS-CoV-2 Research and Treatment. Viruses 2023; 16:64. [PMID: 38257764 PMCID: PMC10821318 DOI: 10.3390/v16010064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/29/2023] [Indexed: 01/24/2024] Open
Abstract
The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic caused by Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) is an ongoing threat to global public health. To this end, intense efforts are underway to develop reagents to aid in diagnostics, enhance preventative measures, and provide therapeutics for managing COVID-19. The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants with enhanced transmissibility, altered antigenicity, and significant escape of existing monoclonal antibodies and vaccines underlines the importance of the continued development of such agents. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and its receptor binding domain (RBD) are critical to viral attachment and host cell entry and are primary targets for antibodies elicited from both vaccination and natural infection. In this study, mice were immunized with two synthetic peptides (Pep 1 and Pep 2) within the RBD of the original Wuhan SARS-CoV-2, as well as the whole RBD as a recombinant protein (rRBD). Hybridomas were generated, and a panel of three monoclonal antibodies, mAb CU-P1-1 against Pep 1, mAb CU-P2-20 against Pep 2, and mAb CU-28-24 against rRBD, was generated and further characterized. These mAbs were shown by ELISA to be specific for each immunogen/antigen. Monoclonal antibody CU-P1-1 has limited applicability other than in ELISA approaches and basic immunoblotting. Monoclonal antibody CU-P2-20 is shown to be favorable for ELISA, immunoblotting, and immunohistochemistry (IHC), however, not live virus neutralization. In contrast, mAb CU-28-24 is most effective at live virus neutralization as well as ELISA and IHC. Moreover, mAb CU-28-24 is active against rRBD proteins from Omicron variants BA.2 and BA.4.5 as determined by ELISA, suggesting this mAb may neutralize live virus of these variants. Each of the immunoglobulin genes has been sequenced using Next Generation Sequencing, which allows the expression of respective recombinant proteins, thereby eliminating the need for long-term hybridoma maintenance. The synthetic peptides and hybridomas/mAbs and quantitative antigen-binding data are under the intellectual property management of the Clemson University Research Foundation, and the three CDRs have been submitted as an invention disclosure for further patenting and commercialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lila D. Patterson
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
| | - Benjamin D. Dubansky
- Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70802, USA;
| | - Brooke H. Dubansky
- Department of Comparative Biomedical Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA;
| | - Shannon Stone
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; (S.S.); (M.K.)
| | - Mukesh Kumar
- Department of Biology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA 30303, USA; (S.S.); (M.K.)
| | - Charles D. Rice
- Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634, USA;
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17
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Arman BY, Brun J, Hill ML, Zitzmann N, von Delft A. An Update on SARS-CoV-2 Clinical Trial Results-What We Can Learn for the Next Pandemic. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 25:354. [PMID: 38203525 PMCID: PMC10779148 DOI: 10.3390/ijms25010354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 12/21/2023] [Accepted: 12/24/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has claimed over 7 million lives worldwide, providing a stark reminder of the importance of pandemic preparedness. Due to the lack of approved antiviral drugs effective against coronaviruses at the start of the pandemic, the world largely relied on repurposed efforts. Here, we summarise results from randomised controlled trials to date, as well as selected in vitro data of directly acting antivirals, host-targeting antivirals, and immunomodulatory drugs. Overall, repurposing efforts evaluating directly acting antivirals targeting other viral families were largely unsuccessful, whereas several immunomodulatory drugs led to clinical improvement in hospitalised patients with severe disease. In addition, accelerated drug discovery efforts during the pandemic progressed to multiple novel directly acting antivirals with clinical efficacy, including small molecule inhibitors and monoclonal antibodies. We argue that large-scale investment is required to prepare for future pandemics; both to develop an arsenal of broad-spectrum antivirals beyond coronaviruses and build worldwide clinical trial networks that can be rapidly utilised.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benediktus Yohan Arman
- Antiviral Drug Discovery Unit, Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK; (J.B.); (N.Z.)
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Juliane Brun
- Antiviral Drug Discovery Unit, Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK; (J.B.); (N.Z.)
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Michelle L. Hill
- Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3RE, UK;
| | - Nicole Zitzmann
- Antiviral Drug Discovery Unit, Oxford Glycobiology Institute, Department of Biochemistry, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK; (J.B.); (N.Z.)
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
| | - Annette von Delft
- Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3QU, UK
- Centre for Medicine Discovery, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7BN, UK
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18
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Tai W, Yang K, Liu Y, Li R, Feng S, Chai B, Zhuang X, Qi S, Shi H, Liu Z, Lei J, Ma E, Wang W, Tian C, Le T, Wang J, Chen Y, Tian M, Xiang Y, Yu G, Cheng G. A lung-selective delivery of mRNA encoding broadly neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 infection. Nat Commun 2023; 14:8042. [PMID: 38052844 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-43798-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023] Open
Abstract
The respiratory system, especially the lung, is the key site of pathological injury induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection. Given the low feasibility of targeted delivery of antibodies into the lungs by intravenous administration and the short half-life period of antibodies in the lungs by intranasal or aerosolized immunization, mRNA encoding broadly neutralizing antibodies with lung-targeting capability can perfectly provide high-titer antibodies in lungs to prevent the SARS-CoV-2 infection. Here, we firstly identify a human monoclonal antibody, 8-9D, with broad neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 variants. The neutralization mechanism of this antibody is explained by the structural characteristics of 8-9D Fabs in complex with the Omicron BA.5 spike. In addition, we evaluate the efficacy of 8-9D using a safe and robust mRNA delivery platform and compare the performance of 8-9D when its mRNA is and is not selectively delivered to the lungs. The lung-selective delivery of the 8-9D mRNA enables the expression of neutralizing antibodies in the lungs which blocks the invasion of the virus, thus effectively protecting female K18-hACE2 transgenic mice from challenge with the Beta or Omicron BA.1 variant. Our work underscores the potential application of lung-selective mRNA antibodies in the prevention and treatment of infections caused by circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wanbo Tai
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Kai Yang
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Yubin Liu
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Ruofan Li
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Shengyong Feng
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Benjie Chai
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Xinyu Zhuang
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130122, China
| | - Shaolong Qi
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Huicheng Shi
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Zhida Liu
- Shanxi Academy of Advanced Research and Innovation, Taiyuan, 030032, China
| | - Jiaqi Lei
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Enhao Ma
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
| | - Weixiao Wang
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Chongyu Tian
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Ting Le
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Jinyong Wang
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Yunfeng Chen
- Institute of Infectious Diseases, Shenzhen Bay Laboratory, Shenzhen, 518132, China
| | - Mingyao Tian
- Changchun Veterinary Research Institute, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Changchun, 130122, China.
| | - Ye Xiang
- Beijing Advanced Innovation Center for Structural Biology, Beijing Frontier Research Center for Biological Structure, Center for Infectious Disease Research, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Guocan Yu
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
| | - Gong Cheng
- New Cornerstone Science Laboratory, Tsinghua-Peking Joint Center for Life Sciences, School of Medicine, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
- Key Laboratory of Bioorganic Phosphorus Chemistry & Chemical Biology, Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, Beijing, 100084, China.
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19
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Davoutis E, Panou C, Stachika N, Dalla C, Kokras N. Drug-drug interactions between COVID-19 drug therapies and antidepressants. Expert Opin Drug Metab Toxicol 2023; 19:937-950. [PMID: 37934891 DOI: 10.1080/17425255.2023.2280750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/03/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Antidepressants are widely used for the pharmacological treatment of anxiety and mood disorders. Since the eruption of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic and the later development of targeted treatments against COVID-19, inevitably many patients receive antidepressants as well as targeted treatments against COVID-19 against COVID-19. Co-administration of antidepressants with COVID-19 therapeutics has the potential of drug-drug interactions, of varying severity and clinical significance. AREAS COVERED This is a curated narrative review of the current state of the art regarding drug-drug interactions between COVID-19 therapeutics and medications licensed for the pharmacotherapy of depression. A systematic search of electronic databases, using as keywords the international nonproprietaty names of currently approved COVID-19 therapeutics and antidepressants was performed, and additionally online interaction checker tools were consulted. Derived data were synthesized for each COVID-19 therapeutic and presented with up-to-date guidance. EXPERT OPINION Several COVID-19 therapeutics have potential for drug-drug interactions with antidepressants. Remdesivir and Nirmatrelvir-Ritonavir have the higher risk, whereas several monoclonal antibodies appear safer. The most serious drug-drug interactions (serotonin syndrome and QTc prolongation) require close monitoring; however, DDI toward reducing the efficacy of antidepressants may be difficult to recognize. As COVID-19 treatment protocols take precedence, psychiatrists should exert flexibility in antidepressant use and proactively monitor treatment progress.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efstathia Davoutis
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Chrysa Panou
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolina Stachika
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Christina Dalla
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Nikolaos Kokras
- Department of Pharmacology, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
- First Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
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20
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Yuan Y, Chen Q, Mao J, Li G, Pan X. DG-Affinity: predicting antigen-antibody affinity with language models from sequences. BMC Bioinformatics 2023; 24:430. [PMID: 37957563 PMCID: PMC10644518 DOI: 10.1186/s12859-023-05562-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 11/15/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antibody-mediated immune responses play a crucial role in the immune defense of human body. The evolution of bioengineering has led the progress of antibody-derived drugs, showing promising efficacy in cancer and autoimmune disease therapy. A critical step of this development process is obtaining the affinity between antibodies and their binding antigens. RESULTS In this study, we introduce a novel sequence-based antigen-antibody affinity prediction method, named DG-Affinity. DG-Affinity uses deep neural networks to efficiently and accurately predict the affinity between antibodies and antigens from sequences, without the need for structural information. The sequences of both the antigen and the antibody are first transformed into embedding vectors by two pre-trained language models, then these embeddings are concatenated into an ConvNeXt framework with a regression task. The results demonstrate the superiority of DG-Affinity over the existing structure-based prediction methods and the sequence-based tools, achieving a Pearson's correlation of over 0.65 on an independent test dataset. CONCLUSIONS Compared to the baseline methods, DG-Affinity achieves the best performance and can advance the development of antibody design. It is freely available as an easy-to-use web server at https://www.digitalgeneai.tech/solution/affinity .
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Affiliation(s)
- Ye Yuan
- Institute of Image Processing and Pattern Recognition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China, Shanghai, 200240, China.
| | | | - Jun Mao
- DigitalGene, Ltd, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Guipeng Li
- DigitalGene, Ltd, Shanghai, 200240, China
| | - Xiaoyong Pan
- Institute of Image Processing and Pattern Recognition, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, and Key Laboratory of System Control and Information Processing, Ministry of Education of China, Shanghai, 200240, China.
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21
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Le K, Kannappan S, Kim T, Lee JH, Lee HR, Kim KK. Structural understanding of SARS-CoV-2 virus entry to host cells. Front Mol Biosci 2023; 10:1288686. [PMID: 38033388 PMCID: PMC10683510 DOI: 10.3389/fmolb.2023.1288686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2023] [Accepted: 10/16/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), is a major global health concern associated with millions of fatalities worldwide. Mutant variants of the virus have further exacerbated COVID-19 mortality and infection rates, emphasizing the urgent need for effective preventive strategies. Understanding the viral infection mechanism is crucial for developing therapeutics and vaccines. The entry of SARS-CoV-2 into host cells is a key step in the infection pathway and has been targeted for drug development. Despite numerous reviews of COVID-19 and the virus, there is a lack of comprehensive reviews focusing on the structural aspects of viral entry. In this review, we analyze structural changes in Spike proteins during the entry process, dividing the entry process into prebinding, receptor binding, proteolytic cleavage, and membrane fusion steps. By understanding the atomic-scale details of viral entry, we can better target the entry step for intervention strategies. We also examine the impacts of mutations in Spike proteins, including the Omicron variant, on viral entry. Structural information provides insights into the effects of mutations and can guide the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Finally, we discuss available structure-based approaches for the development of therapeutics and vaccines. Overall, this review provides a detailed analysis of the structural aspects of SARS-CoV-2 viral entry, highlighting its significance in the development of therapeutics and vaccines against COVID-19. Therefore, our review emphasizes the importance of structural information in combating SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kim Le
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Shrute Kannappan
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Truc Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Jung Heon Lee
- Research Center for Advanced Materials Technology Core Research Institute, Suwon, Republic of Korea
- School of Advanced Materials and Science Engineering, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye-Ra Lee
- Department of Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, College of Science and Technology, Korea University, Sejong, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyeong Kyu Kim
- Department of Precision Medicine, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Institute of Antibacterial Resistance Research and Therapeutics, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, Republic of Korea
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22
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Pitsillou E, Yu Y, Beh RC, Liang JJ, Hung A, Karagiannis TC. Chronicling the 3-year evolution of the COVID-19 pandemic: analysis of disease management, characteristics of major variants, and impacts on pathogenicity. Clin Exp Med 2023; 23:3277-3298. [PMID: 37615803 DOI: 10.1007/s10238-023-01168-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/10/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Announced on December 31, 2019, the novel coronavirus arising in Wuhan City, Hubei Province resulted in millions of cases and lives lost. Following intense tracking, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2020. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) was identified as the cause of COVID-19 and the continuous evolution of the virus has given rise to several variants. In this review, a comprehensive analysis of the response to the pandemic over the first three-year period is provided, focusing on disease management, development of vaccines and therapeutics, and identification of variants. The transmissibility and pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 variants including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, and Omicron are compared. The binding characteristics of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein to the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and reproduction numbers are evaluated. The effects of major variants on disease severity, hospitalisation, and case-fatality rates are outlined. In addition to the spike protein, open reading frames mutations are investigated. We also compare the pathogenicity of SARS-CoV-2 with SARS-CoV and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV). Overall, this study highlights the strengths and weaknesses of the global response to the pandemic, as well as the importance of prevention and preparedness. Monitoring the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 is critical in identifying and potentially predicting the health outcomes of concerning variants as they emerge. The ultimate goal would be a position in which existing vaccines and therapeutics could be adapted to suit new variants in as close to real-time as possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eleni Pitsillou
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Yiping Yu
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Raymond C Beh
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Julia J Liang
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Andrew Hung
- School of Science, STEM College, RMIT University, Melbourne, VIC, 3001, Australia
| | - Tom C Karagiannis
- Epigenomic Medicine Laboratory at prospED, Carlton, VIC, 3053, Australia.
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- Department of Clinical Pathology, The University of Melbourne, Parkville, VIC, 3010, Australia.
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23
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Yang J, Lin S, Chen Z, Yang F, Guo L, Wang L, Duan Y, Zhang X, Dai Y, Yin K, Yu C, Yuan X, Sun H, He B, Cao Y, Ye H, Dong H, Liu X, Chen B, Li J, Zhao Q, Lu G. Development of a bispecific nanobody conjugate broadly neutralizes diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants and structural basis for its broad neutralization. PLoS Pathog 2023; 19:e1011804. [PMID: 38033141 PMCID: PMC10688893 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1011804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 11/07/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The continuous emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants with increased transmissibility and profound immune-escape capacity makes it an urgent need to develop broad-spectrum therapeutics. Nanobodies have recently attracted extensive attentions due to their excellent biochemical and binding properties. Here, we report two high-affinity nanobodies (Nb-015 and Nb-021) that target non-overlapping epitopes in SARS-CoV-2 S-RBD. Both nanobodies could efficiently neutralize diverse viruses of SARS-CoV-2. The neutralizing mechanisms for the two nanobodies are further delineated by high-resolution nanobody/S-RBD complex structures. In addition, an Fc-based tetravalent nanobody format is constructed by combining Nb-015 and Nb-021. The resultant nanobody conjugate, designated as Nb-X2-Fc, exhibits significantly enhanced breadth and potency against all-tested SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron sub-lineages. These data demonstrate that Nb-X2-Fc could serve as an effective drug candidate for the treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection, deserving further in-vivo evaluations in the future.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jing Yang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Sheng Lin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Zimin Chen
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Fanli Yang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Liyan Guo
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Lingling Wang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yanping Duan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xindan Zhang
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yushan Dai
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Keqing Yin
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Chongzhang Yu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xin Yuan
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Honglu Sun
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Bin He
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Yu Cao
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
- Disaster Medicine Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Haoyu Ye
- Department of Biotherapy, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Haohao Dong
- State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy and Cancer Center, National Clinical Research Center for Geriatrics, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Xianbo Liu
- CHENGDU NB BIOLAB CO., LTD, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Bo Chen
- CHENGDU NB BIOLAB CO., LTD, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Jian Li
- School of Basic Medical Sciences, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Qi Zhao
- College of Food and Biological Engineering, Chengdu University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Guangwen Lu
- Department of Emergency Medicine, State Key Laboratory of Biotherapy, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
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24
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Kalmatte A, Rekha PD, Ratnacaram CK. Emerging cell cycle related non-coding RNA biomarkers from saliva and blood for oral squamous cell carcinoma. Mol Biol Rep 2023; 50:9479-9496. [PMID: 37717257 DOI: 10.1007/s11033-023-08791-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/19/2023]
Abstract
The unnotified or undifferentiable early stages of oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) progression are the prime reasons for late-stage detection and poor survival outcomes of oral cancer. This review summarizes the prior research and recent advancements on the influence of dysregulated non-coding RNA (ncRNA) on cell cycle and their employability as diagnostic and prognostic biomarkers of oral cancer. The literature search was performed using the following keywords: 'serum/saliva non-coding RNAs' and 'serum/saliva non-coding RNAs and cell cycle', 'serum/saliva dysregulated ncRNAs and cell cycle', 'Cdk/CKI and ncRNAs', 'tissue ncRNAs' concerning 'oral cancer''. The compiled data focuses mainly on the diagnostic and prognostic significance of MicroRNAs (miRNAs), Circular RNAs (circRNAs), and Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) on oral cancer and all other cancers as well as subject-relevant articles published in languages other than English are beyond the scope of this review and excluded from the study. Moreover, articles focusing on DNA, protein, and metabolite markers are eliminated from the study. While there exist various potential biomolecules such as DNA, RNA, proteins, metabolites, and specific antigens representing predictive biomarkers in body fluids for oral cancer, this review completely focuses on non-coding RNAs restricted to saliva and blood, picking out a few of the reliable ones amongst the recent investigations based on the sophisticated techniques, cohort, and sensitivity as well as specificity, i.e., salivary miR-1307-5p, miR-3928, hsa_circ_0001874 and ENST00000412740, NR_131012, ENST00000588803, NR_038323, miR-21 in circulation. Thus, further studies are required to clinically confirm the usage of these non-invasive biomarkers in oral cancer.
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Affiliation(s)
- Asrarunissa Kalmatte
- Srinivas College Of Physiotherapy, City Campus, Pandeshwar, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575001, India
- Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), University Road, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575018, India
| | - Punchappady Devasya Rekha
- Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), University Road, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575018, India
| | - Chandrahas Koumar Ratnacaram
- Yenepoya Research Centre, Yenepoya (Deemed to be University), University Road, Deralakatte, Mangaluru, Karnataka, 575018, India.
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Zangouri V, Ranjbar A, Homapour F, Seyyedy MS, Gooya S, Karami MY, Halimi E. Breast Cancer Survivors and COVID-19: Prevalence and Risk of Severe Disease in a Screening Study. Med J Islam Repub Iran 2023; 37:114. [PMID: 38145185 PMCID: PMC10744123 DOI: 10.47176/mjiri.37.114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Determining the risk of severe course coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and its related factors in survivors of common cancers such as breast cancer is important. This study has been designed to evaluate the prevalence of COVID-19 infection in breast cancer survivors and also estimate the risk of severe disease in this population. Methods Out of 6134 patients in the Shiraz Breast Cancer Registry (SBCR), A total of 292 patients who elapsed less than a year from their breast cancer diagnosis were excluded. We called 5842 patients. Finally, 4135 breast cancer survivors who agreed to cooperate were screened for COVID-19 symptoms by a symptom-based questionnaire in November 2020. COVID-19 in symptomatic participants was confirmed by a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test. The clinical and paraclinical data of the COVID-19 course were collected for patients with a positive PCR test. Results A total of 247 (5.9%) participants had at least reported one of the COVID-19 symptoms. Also, 17% of symptomatic participants had a positive PCR test; 83.7% had mild disease, 9.5% moderate, and 16.7% had severe conditions. Chronic cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and diabetes were related to an increased risk of severe illness ( P = 0.018, P = 0.018, P = 0.002). Conclusion This study suggests that breast cancer intermediate and longtime survivors without other underlying diseases are considered at low risk for developing severe/critical COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vahid Zangouri
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
- Surgical Oncology Division, General Surgery Department, Shiraz University of
Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Aliyeh Ranjbar
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
| | - Farhad Homapour
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
- Surgical Oncology Division, General Surgery Department, Shiraz University of
Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | | | - Shakila Gooya
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
| | - Mohammad Yasin Karami
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
- Surgical Oncology Division, General Surgery Department, Shiraz University of
Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran
| | - Elham Halimi
- Breast Diseases Research Center, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz,
Iran
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Wralstad EC, Sayers J, Raines RT. Bayesian Inference Elucidates the Catalytic Competency of the SARS-CoV-2 Main Protease 3CL pro. Anal Chem 2023; 95:14981-14989. [PMID: 37750823 PMCID: PMC10662973 DOI: 10.1021/acs.analchem.3c02459] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/27/2023]
Abstract
The main protease of SARS-CoV-2, 3CLpro, is a dimeric enzyme that is indispensable to viral replication and presents an attractive opportunity for therapeutic intervention. Previous reports regarding the key properties of 3CLpro and its highly similar SARS-CoV homologue conflict dramatically. Values of the dimeric Kd and enzymic kcat/KM differ by 106- and 103-fold, respectively. Establishing a confident benchmark of the intrinsic capabilities of this enzyme is essential for combating the current pandemic as well as potential future outbreaks. Here, we use enzymatic methods to characterize the dimerization and catalytic efficiency of the authentic protease from SARS-CoV-2. Specifically, we use the rigor of Bayesian inference in a Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis of progress curves to circumvent the limitations of traditional Michaelis-Menten initial rate analysis. We report that SARS-CoV-2 3CLpro forms a dimer at pH 7.5 that has Kd = 16 ± 4 nM and is capable of catalysis with kcat = 9.9 ± 1.5 s-1, KM = 0.23 ± 0.01 mM, and kcat/KM = (4.3 ± 0.7) × 104 M-1 s-1. We also find that enzymatic activity decreases substantially in solutions of high ionic strength, largely as a consequence of impaired dimerization. We conclude that 3CLpro is a more capable catalyst than appreciated previously, which has important implications for the design of antiviral therapeutic agents that target 3CLpro.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evans C Wralstad
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Jessica Sayers
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
| | - Ronald T Raines
- Department of Chemistry, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139, United States
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Zeng B, Zhou J, Peng D, Dong C, Qin Q. The prevention and treatment of COVID-19 in patients treated with hemodialysis. Eur J Med Res 2023; 28:410. [PMID: 37814329 PMCID: PMC10563282 DOI: 10.1186/s40001-023-01389-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Patients treated with hemodialysis are often immunocompromised due to concomitant disease. As a result, this population is at high risk of infection and mortality from COVID-19. In addition to symptomatic treatment, a series of antiviral drugs targeting COVID-19 are now emerging. However, these antivirals are used mainly in mild or moderate patients with high-risk factors for progression to severe disease and are not available as pre- or post-exposure prophylaxis for COVID-19. There is a lack of clinical data on the use of anti-COVID-19 drugs, especially in patients treated with hemodialysis, therefore, vaccination remains the main measure to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection in these patients. Here, we review the clinical features and prognosis of patients on hemodialysis infected with SARS-CoV-2, the main anti-COVID-19 drugs currently available for clinical use, and the safety and efficacy of anti-COVID-19 drugs or COVID-19 vaccination in patients treated with hemodialysis. This information will provide a reference for the treatment and vaccination of COVID-19 in patients treated with hemodialysis and maximize the health benefits of these patients during the outbreak.
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Affiliation(s)
- Binyu Zeng
- National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Early Clinical Trials of Biological Agents in Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Jia Zhou
- National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Early Clinical Trials of Biological Agents in Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Daizhuang Peng
- National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Early Clinical Trials of Biological Agents in Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Chengmei Dong
- National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China
- International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Early Clinical Trials of Biological Agents in Hunan Province, Changsha, China
| | - Qun Qin
- National Institution of Drug Clinical Trial, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
- National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Disorders, Xiangya Hospital, Central South University, Changsha, 410008, China.
- International Science and Technology Innovation Cooperation Base for Early Clinical Trials of Biological Agents in Hunan Province, Changsha, China.
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Tomo S, Kiran Kumar PVSN, Yadav D, Sankanagoudar S, Charan J, Purohit A, Nag VL, Bhatia PK, Singh K, Dutt N, Garg MK, Misra S, Sharma P, Purohit P. Association of Serum Complement C3 Levels with Severity and Mortality in COVID 19. Indian J Clin Biochem 2023; 38:447-456. [PMID: 37746543 PMCID: PMC10516839 DOI: 10.1007/s12291-023-01148-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
The severe acute respiratory distress syndrome-associated coronavirus-2 infection can activate innate and adaptive immune responses which may lead to harmful tissue damage, both locally and systemically. C3, a member of complement system of serum proteins, is a major component of innate immune and inflammatory responses. This study is aimed to assess serum C3 as a marker of COVID-19 severity and a predictor of disease progression. A total of 150 COVID-19 patients, confirmed by RT-PCR, and 50 healthy controls were recruited. Serum C3 levels were determined by using direct colorimetric method. Median levels of serum C3 in total cases and controls were 157.8 and 165.7 mg/dL respectively. Serum C3 although not significantly decreased, they were lower in cases when compared to controls. Similarly, significant differences were found between the groups, with severe group (140.6 mg/dL) having low levels of serum C3 protein when compared to mild (161.0 mg/dL) and moderate group (167.1 mg/dL). Interestingly, during hospitalization, significant difference between baseline (admission) and follow-up (discharge) was observed only in patients with moderate disease. Based on our results, lower levels of C3, with an increase in IL-6 and d-dimer levels, are associated with higher odds of mortality. Therefore, we would like to emphasize that measuring serum C3 levels along with other inflammatory markers might give an added advantage in early identification of patients who are prone to having a severe disease course and can help in a more effective follow-up of disease progression. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12291-023-01148-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sojit Tomo
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Basni Phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005 India
| | - PVSN Kiran Kumar
- Department of Biochemistry, Andhra Medical College, Visakhapatnam, India
| | - Dharamveer Yadav
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Basni Phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005 India
| | - Shrimanjunath Sankanagoudar
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Basni Phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005 India
| | - Jayakaran Charan
- Department of Pharmacology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Abhishek Purohit
- Department of Pathology and Lab Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Vijaya Lakshmi Nag
- Department of Microbiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Pradeep Kumar Bhatia
- Department of Anaesthesiology and Critical Care, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Kuldeep Singh
- Department of Paediatrics, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Naveen Dutt
- Department of Pulmonary Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Mahendra Kumar Garg
- Department of General Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Sanjeev Misra
- Department of Surgical Oncology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, India
| | - Praveen Sharma
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Basni Phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005 India
| | - Purvi Purohit
- Department of Biochemistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Jodhpur, Basni Phase 2, Jodhpur, Rajasthan 342005 India
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29
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Grandi A, Tomasi M, Ullah I, Bertelli C, Vanzo T, Accordini S, Gagliardi A, Zanella I, Benedet M, Corbellari R, Di Lascio G, Tamburini S, Caproni E, Croia L, Ravà M, Fumagalli V, Di Lucia P, Marotta D, Sala E, Iannacone M, Kumar P, Mothes W, Uchil PD, Cherepanov P, Bolognesi M, Pizzato M, Grandi G. Immunogenicity and Pre-Clinical Efficacy of an OMV-Based SARS-CoV-2 Vaccine. Vaccines (Basel) 2023; 11:1546. [PMID: 37896949 PMCID: PMC10610814 DOI: 10.3390/vaccines11101546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 09/27/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The vaccination campaign against SARS-CoV-2 relies on the world-wide availability of effective vaccines, with a potential need of 20 billion vaccine doses to fully vaccinate the world population. To reach this goal, the manufacturing and logistic processes should be affordable to all countries, irrespective of economical and climatic conditions. Outer membrane vesicles (OMVs) are bacterial-derived vesicles that can be engineered to incorporate heterologous antigens. Given the inherent adjuvanticity, such modified OMVs can be used as vaccines to induce potent immune responses against the associated proteins. Here, we show that OMVs engineered to incorporate peptides derived from the receptor binding motif (RBM) of the spike protein from SARS-CoV-2 elicit an effective immune response in vaccinated mice, resulting in the production of neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) with a titre higher than 1:300. The immunity induced by the vaccine is sufficient to protect the animals from intranasal challenge with SARS-CoV-2, preventing both virus replication in the lungs and the pathology associated with virus infection. Furthermore, we show that OMVs can be effectively decorated with the RBM of the Omicron BA.1 variant and that such engineered OMVs induce nAbs against Omicron BA.1 and BA.5, as measured using the pseudovirus neutralization infectivity assay. Importantly, we show that the RBM438-509 ancestral-OMVs elicited antibodies which efficiently neutralize in vitro both the homologous ancestral strain, the Omicron BA.1 and BA.5 variants with a neutralization titre ranging from 1:100 to 1:1500, suggesting its potential use as a vaccine targeting diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. Altogether, given the convenience associated with the ease of engineering, production and distribution, our results demonstrate that OMV-based SARS-CoV-2 vaccines can be a crucial addition to the vaccines currently available.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Grandi
- Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; (A.G.); (A.G.); (M.B.); (G.D.L.); (E.C.)
- BiOMViS Srl, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy
| | - Michele Tomasi
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Irfan Ullah
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; (I.U.); (W.M.); (P.D.U.)
| | - Cinzia Bertelli
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Teresa Vanzo
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Silvia Accordini
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Assunta Gagliardi
- Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; (A.G.); (A.G.); (M.B.); (G.D.L.); (E.C.)
| | - Ilaria Zanella
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Mattia Benedet
- Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; (A.G.); (A.G.); (M.B.); (G.D.L.); (E.C.)
| | - Riccardo Corbellari
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Gabriele Di Lascio
- Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; (A.G.); (A.G.); (M.B.); (G.D.L.); (E.C.)
| | - Silvia Tamburini
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Elena Caproni
- Toscana Life Sciences Foundation, Via Fiorentina 1, 53100 Siena, Italy; (A.G.); (A.G.); (M.B.); (G.D.L.); (E.C.)
| | - Lorenzo Croia
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Micol Ravà
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
| | - Valeria Fumagalli
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 00132 Milan, Italy
| | - Pietro Di Lucia
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
| | - Davide Marotta
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 00132 Milan, Italy
| | - Eleonora Sala
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 00132 Milan, Italy
| | - Matteo Iannacone
- Division of Immunology, Transplantation and Infectious Diseases, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy; (M.R.); (V.F.); (P.D.L.); (D.M.); (E.S.); (M.I.)
- Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, Via Olgettina 58, 00132 Milan, Italy
- Experimental Imaging Center, IRCCS San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20132 Milan, Italy
| | - Priti Kumar
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Walther Mothes
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; (I.U.); (W.M.); (P.D.U.)
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Pradeep D. Uchil
- Section of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06520, USA; (I.U.); (W.M.); (P.D.U.)
- Department of Microbial Pathogenesis, School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT 06510, USA;
| | - Peter Cherepanov
- Chromatin Structure and Mobile DNA Laboratory, The Francis Crick Institute, London NW1 1AT, UK;
| | - Martino Bolognesi
- Biosciences Department, University of Milan, Via Celoria 26, 20133 Milan, Italy;
| | - Massimo Pizzato
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
| | - Guido Grandi
- Department of Cellular, Computational and Integrative Biology (CIBIO), University of Trento, Via Sommarive 9, 38123 Trento, Italy; (M.T.); (C.B.); (T.V.); (S.A.); (I.Z.); (R.C.); (S.T.); (L.C.)
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30
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Kim JW, Kim HJ, Heo K, Lee Y, Jang HJ, Lee HY, Park JW, Cho YB, Lee JH, Shin HG, Yang HR, Choi HL, Shim HB, Lee S. A novel bispecific antibody dual-targeting approach for enhanced neutralization against fast-evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1271508. [PMID: 37822941 PMCID: PMC10562541 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1271508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction The emergence of new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants has caused unprecedented health and socioeconomic crises, necessitating the immediate development of highly effective neutralizing antibodies. Despite recent advancements in anti-SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) derived from convalescent patient samples, their efficacy against emerging variants has been limited. In this study, we present a novel dual-targeting strategy using bispecific antibodies (bsAbs) that specifically recognize both the SARS-CoV-2 RBD and fusion peptide (FP), crucial domains for viral attachment to the host cell membrane and fusion in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods Using phage display technology, we rapidly isolated FP-specific mAbs from an established human recombinant antibody library, identifying K107.1 with a nanomolar affinity for SARS-CoV-2 FP. Furthermore, we generated K203.A, a new bsAb built in immunoglobulin G4-(single-chain variable fragment)2 forms and demonstrating a high manufacturing yield and nanomolar affinity to both the RBD and FP, by fusing K102.1, our previously reported RBD-specific mAb, with K107.1. Results Our comprehensive in vitro functional analyses revealed that the K203.A bsAb significantly outperformed the parental RBD-specific mAb in terms of neutralization efficacy against SARS-CoV-2 variants. Furthermore, intravenous monotherapy with K203.A demonstrated potent in vivo neutralizing activity without significant in vivo toxicity in a mouse model infected with a SARS-CoV-2 variant. Conclusion These findings present a novel bsAb dual-targeting strategy, directed at SARS-CoV-2 RBD and FP, as an effective approach for rapid development and management against continuously evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ji Woong Kim
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Jung Kim
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Kyun Heo
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Antibody Research Institute, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Yoonwoo Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hui Jeong Jang
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ho-Young Lee
- Department of Nuclear Medicine, Seoul National University Bundang Hospital, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Jun Won Park
- Division of Biomedical Convergence, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea
| | - Yea Bin Cho
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ji Hyun Lee
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Gyeong Shin
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Ha Rim Yang
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hye Lim Choi
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Hyun Bo Shim
- Department of Life Sciences, Ewha Womans University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Sukmook Lee
- Department of Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Department of Biopharmaceutical Chemistry, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Antibody Research Institute, Kookmin University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Bains A, Guan W, LiWang PJ. The Effect of Select SARS-CoV-2 N-Linked Glycan and Variant of Concern Spike Protein Mutations on C-Type Lectin-Receptor-Mediated Infection. Viruses 2023; 15:1901. [PMID: 37766307 PMCID: PMC10535197 DOI: 10.3390/v15091901] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/05/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The SARS-CoV-2 virion has shown remarkable resilience, capable of mutating to escape immune detection and re-establishing infectious capabilities despite new vaccine rollouts. Therefore, there is a critical need to identify relatively immutable epitopes on the SARS-CoV-2 virion that are resistant to future mutations the virus may accumulate. While hACE2 has been identified as the receptor that mediates SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility, it is only modestly expressed in lung tissue. C-type lectin receptors like DC-SIGN can act as attachment sites to enhance SARS-CoV-2 infection of cells with moderate or low hACE2 expression. We developed an easy-to-implement assay system that allows for the testing of SARS-CoV-2 trans-infection. Using our assay, we assessed how SARS-CoV-2 Spike S1-domain glycans and spike proteins from different strains affected the ability of pseudotyped lentivirions to undergo DC-SIGN-mediated trans-infection. Through our experiments with seven glycan point mutants, two glycan cluster mutants and four strains of SARS-CoV-2 spike, we found that glycans N17 and N122 appear to have significant roles in maintaining COVID-19's infectious capabilities. We further found that the virus cannot retain infectivity upon the loss of multiple glycosylation sites, and that Omicron BA.2 pseudovirions may have an increased ability to bind to other non-lectin receptor proteins on the surface of cells. Taken together, our work opens the door to the development of new therapeutics that can target overlooked epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 virion to prevent C-type lectin-receptor-mediated trans-infection in lung tissue.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arjan Bains
- Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Wenyan Guan
- Materials and Biomaterials Science and Engineering, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA;
| | - Patricia J. LiWang
- Molecular Cell Biology, Health Sciences Research Institute, University of California Merced, 5200 North Lake Rd., Merced, CA 95343, USA
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Llewellyn GN, Chen HY, Rogers GL, Huang X, Sell PJ, Henley JE, Cannon PM. Comparison of SARS-CoV-2 entry inhibitors based on ACE2 receptor or engineered Spike-binding peptides. J Virol 2023; 97:e0068423. [PMID: 37555663 PMCID: PMC10506483 DOI: 10.1128/jvi.00684-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/10/2023] Open
Abstract
With increasing resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants to antibodies, there is interest in developing entry inhibitors that target essential receptor-binding regions of the viral Spike protein and thereby present a high bar for viral resistance. Such inhibitors could be derivatives of the viral receptor, ACE2, or peptides engineered to interact specifically with the Spike receptor-binding pocket. We compared the efficacy of a series of both types of entry inhibitors, constructed as fusions to an antibody Fc domain. Such a design can increase protein stability and act to both neutralize free virus and recruit effector functions to clear infected cells. We tested the reagents against prototype variants of SARS-CoV-2, using both Spike pseudotyped vesicular stomatitis virus vectors and replication-competent viruses. These analyses revealed that an optimized ACE2 derivative could neutralize all variants we tested with high efficacy. In contrast, the Spike-binding peptides had varying activities against different variants, with resistance observed in the Spike proteins from Beta, Gamma, and Omicron (BA.1 and BA.5). The resistance mapped to mutations at Spike residues K417 and N501 and could be overcome for one of the peptides by linking two copies in tandem, effectively creating a tetrameric reagent in the Fc fusion. Finally, both the optimized ACE2 and tetrameric peptide inhibitors provided some protection to human ACE2 transgenic mice challenged with the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant, which typically causes death in this model within 7-9 days. IMPORTANCE The increasing resistance of SARS-CoV-2 variants to therapeutic antibodies has highlighted the need for new treatment options, especially in individuals who do not respond to vaccination. Receptor decoys that block viral entry are an attractive approach because of the presumed high bar to developing viral resistance. Here, we compare two entry inhibitors based on derivatives of the ACE2 receptor, or engineered peptides that bind to the receptor-binding pocket of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein. In each case, the inhibitors were fused to immunoglobulin Fc domains, which can further enhance therapeutic properties, and compared for activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants. Potent inhibition against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants was demonstrated in vitro, and even relatively low single doses of optimized reagents provided some protection in a mouse model, confirming their potential as an alternative to antibody therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- George N. Llewellyn
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Hsu-Yu Chen
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Geoffrey L. Rogers
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Xiaoli Huang
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Philip J. Sell
- The Hastings Foundation and The Wright Foundation Laboratories, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Jill E. Henley
- The Hastings Foundation and The Wright Foundation Laboratories, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Paula M. Cannon
- Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Keck School of Medicine of the University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Hua RH, Zhang SJ, Niu B, Ge JY, Lan T, Bu ZG. A Novel Conserved Linear Neutralizing Epitope on the Receptor-Binding Domain of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0119023. [PMID: 37306579 PMCID: PMC10433833 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01190-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2023] [Accepted: 05/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023] Open
Abstract
The continuous emergence of new variants of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has made it challenging to develop broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibodies. Here, we have identified a broad-spectrum neutralizing antibody and its highly conserved epitope in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein (S) S1 subunit of SARS-CoV-2. First, nine monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against the RBD or S1 were generated; of these, one RBD-specific MAb, 22.9-1, was selected for its broad RBD-binding abilities and neutralizing activities against SARS-CoV-2 variants. An epitope of 22.9-1 was fine-mapped with overlapping and truncated peptide fusion proteins. The core sequence of the epitope, 405D(N)EVR(S)QIAPGQ414, was identified on the internal surface of the up-state RBD. The epitope was conserved in nearly all variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2. MAb 22.9-1 and its novel epitope could be beneficial for research on broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibody drugs. IMPORTANCE The continuous emergence of new variants of SARS-CoV-2 has caused great challenge in vaccine design and therapeutic antibody development. In this study, we selected a broad-spectrum neutralizing mouse monoclonal antibody which recognized a conserved linear B-cell epitope located on the internal surface of RBD. This MAb could neutralize all variants until now. The epitope was conserved in all variants. This work provides new insights in developing broad-spectrum prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rong-Hong Hua
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Shu-Jian Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Bei Niu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Jin-Ying Ge
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Ting Lan
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
| | - Zhi-Gao Bu
- State Key Laboratory for Animal Disease Control and Prevention, Harbin Veterinary Research Institute of Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Harbin, China
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Abstract
The recent advancements in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccine development have vastly enhanced their use as alternatives to conventional vaccines in the prevention of various infectious diseases and treatment of several types of cancers. This is mainly due to their remarkable ability to stimulate specific immune responses with minimal clinical side effects. This review gives a detailed overview of mRNA vaccines currently in use or at various stages of development, the recent advancements in mRNA vaccine development, and the challenges encountered in their development. Future perspectives on this technology are also discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Londiwe Simphiwe Mbatha
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Jude Akinyelu
- Department of Biochemistry, Federal University Oye-Ekiti, Ekiti state, Nigeria
| | - Fiona Maiyo
- Department of Medical Sciences, Kabarak University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Tukayi Kudanga
- Department of Biotechnology and Food Science, Durban University of Technology, PO Box 1334, Durban 4000, South Africa
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Wen K, Cai JP, Fan X, Zhang X, Luo C, Tang KM, Shuai H, Chen LL, Zhang RR, Situ J, Tsoi HW, Wang K, Chan JFW, Yuan S, Yuen KY, Zhou H, To KKW. Broad-spectrum humanized monoclonal neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the Omicron variant. Front Cell Infect Microbiol 2023; 13:1213806. [PMID: 37645378 PMCID: PMC10461085 DOI: 10.3389/fcimb.2023.1213806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 07/20/2023] [Indexed: 08/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Therapeutic monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have been shown to improve the outcome of severe COVID-19 patients in clinical trials. However, novel variants with spike protein mutations can render many currently available mAbs ineffective. Methods We produced mAbs by using hybridoma cells that generated from mice immunized with spike protein trimer and receptor binding domain (RBD). The panel of mAbs were screened for binding and neutralizing activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants. The in vivo effectiveness of WKS13 was evaluated in a hamster model. Results Out of 960 clones, we identified 18 mAbs that could bind spike protein. Ten of the mAbs could attach to RBD, among which five had neutralizing activity against the ancestral strain and could block the binding between the spike protein and human ACE2. One of these mAbs, WKS13, had broad neutralizing activity against all Variants of Concern (VOCs), including the Omicron variant. Both murine or humanized versions of WKS13 could reduce the lung viral load in hamsters infected with the Delta variant. Conclusions Our data showed that broad-spectrum high potency mAbs can be produced from immunized mice, which can be used in humans after humanization of the Fc region. Our method represents a versatile and rapid strategy for generating therapeutic mAbs for upcoming novel variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kun Wen
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Jian-Piao Cai
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Xiaodi Fan
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
- Guangdong Provincial Key Laboratory of Tumor Interventional Diagnosis and Treatment, Zhuhai People’s Hospital (Zhuhai Hospital Affiliated with Jinan University), Zhuhai, China
| | - Xiaojuan Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Cuiting Luo
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kai-Ming Tang
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Huiping Shuai
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Lin-Lei Chen
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Ricky Ruiqi Zhang
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jianwen Situ
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hoi-Wah Tsoi
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kun Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Jasper Fuk-Woo Chan
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Center for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Shuofeng Yuan
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Center for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Kwok-Yung Yuen
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Center for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Hongwei Zhou
- Microbiome Medicine Center, Division of Laboratory Medicine, Zhujiang Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China
| | - Kelvin Kai-Wang To
- State Key Laboratory for Emerging Infectious Diseases, Carol Yu Center for Infection, Department of Microbiology, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, Pokfulam, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Microbiology, Queen Mary Hospital, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Clinical Microbiology and Infection Control, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
- Center for Virology, Vaccinology and Therapeutics, Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
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Buyel JF. Product safety aspects of plant molecular farming. Front Bioeng Biotechnol 2023; 11:1238917. [PMID: 37614627 PMCID: PMC10442644 DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2023.1238917] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023] Open
Abstract
Plant molecular farming (PMF) has been promoted since the 1990s as a rapid, cost-effective and (most of all) safe alternative to the cultivation of bacteria or animal cells for the production of biopharmaceutical proteins. Numerous plant species have been investigated for the production of a broad range of protein-based drug candidates. The inherent safety of these products is frequently highlighted as an advantage of PMF because plant viruses do not replicate in humans and vice versa. However, a more nuanced analysis of this principle is required when considering other pathogens because toxic compounds pose a risk even in the absence of replication. Similarly, it is necessary to assess the risks associated with the host system (e.g., the presence of toxic secondary metabolites) and the production approach (e.g., transient expression based on bacterial infiltration substantially increases the endotoxin load). This review considers the most relevant host systems in terms of their toxicity profile, including the presence of secondary metabolites, and the risks arising from the persistence of these substances after downstream processing and product purification. Similarly, we discuss a range of plant pathogens and disease vectors that can influence product safety, for example, due to the release of toxins. The ability of downstream unit operations to remove contaminants and process-related toxic impurities such as endotoxins is also addressed. This overview of plant-based production, focusing on product safety aspects, provides recommendations that will allow stakeholders to choose the most appropriate strategies for process development.
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Affiliation(s)
- J. F. Buyel
- Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Institute of Bioprocess Science and Engineering (IBSE), University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
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Knopp BW, Weiss HZ, Fahmy S, Goldstein E, Parmar J. A Comparison of the Adverse Effects and Utility of Different Monoclonal Antibodies for SARS-CoV-2: A Retrospective Cohort Study. Cureus 2023; 15:e43094. [PMID: 37680398 PMCID: PMC10482545 DOI: 10.7759/cureus.43094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2023] [Accepted: 08/06/2023] [Indexed: 09/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Introduction Multiple monoclonal antibody (mAb) treatments have been developed to combat the growing number of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) strains. These treatments have been shown to be effective in reducing the risk of hospitalization and death from SARS-CoV-2 infection with a low risk of adverse effects; however, more data is required to evaluate the comparative efficacy of mAbs. The primary objective of this study is to describe the hospitalization rate, length of stay (LOS), and mortality rate in SARS-CoV-2 patients treated with four different mAb treatments, including bamlanivimab plus etesevimab, casirivimab plus imdevimab, sotrovimab, and bebtelovimab. Methods A retrospective chart review and prospective phone surveys of SARS-CoV-2 patients treated with mAbs in a 400-bed tertiary, suburban medical center were conducted between June 2020 and April 2022. Eligibility criteria for mAbs included non-hospitalized patients over the age of 18 with less than 10 days of SARS-CoV-2 symptoms and no oxygen requirement on emergency department (ED) admission. Data were collected from the retrospective chart review and subjective patient surveys. A chi-squared test was used. Significance was assessed at p < 0.05. Results The study population included 3249 patients, with 1537 males and 1712 females and an average age of 62.48 ± 17.54 years. Five hundred forty-two patients received bamlanivimab plus etesevimab; 849 received bebtelovimab; 1577 received casirivimab plus imdevimab; and 281 received sotrovimab. The overall hospitalization rate was 1.0%, and the mortality rate was 0.2% following mAb treatment. The hospitalization rate was greatest among patients administered Sotrovimab (2.1%) and least among patients administered Bebtelovimab (0.1%) (p = 0.010). 2.4% of patients who were discharged from the ED after receiving one of the four mAbs returned within 30 days with SARS-CoV-2 symptoms. The average length of stay was 4.75 ± 4.56 days, with no significant differences between the mAbs. The provider-reported adverse event rate was 2.2%, with significant differences in adverse event rates between mAbs. Bamlanivimab-etesevimab was associated with the highest adverse event rate (4.6%), and sotrovimab was associated with the lowest adverse event rate (1.4%) (p < 0.001). Conclusion This study shows a low hospitalization and mortality rate following mAb infusion in patients with mild and moderate COVID-19. However, there were significant differences in hospitalization and mortality among patients receiving each of the four mAb treatments. There was a high degree of patient-reported symptom improvement, and adverse reactions were reported in only 2.2% of patients with no severe reactions. Multiple monoclonal antibody treatments are not effective as monotherapy; however, this study shows the potential benefits of including a mAb infusion as part of a SARS-CoV-2 treatment plan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brandon W Knopp
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Hannah Z Weiss
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Samer Fahmy
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Evan Goldstein
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Boca Raton, USA
| | - Jeniel Parmar
- Department of Emergency Medicine, Florida Atlantic University Charles E. Schmidt College of Medicine, Boca Raton, USA
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Candel FJ, Salavert M, Lorite Mingot D, Manzano Crespo M, Pérez Portero P, Cuervo Pinto R. Reduction in the risk of progression of solid organ transplant recipients infected by SARS-CoV-2 treated with monoclonal antibodies. Rev Esp Quimioter 2023; 36:380-391. [PMID: 37089055 PMCID: PMC10336315 DOI: 10.37201/req/023.2023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/23/2023] [Indexed: 04/25/2023]
Abstract
Recipients of solid organ transplants (SOT) are at higher risk of infection by SARS-CoV-2 virus especially due to chronic immunosuppression therapy and frequent multiple comorbid conditions. COVID-19 is a potentially life-threatening disease in SOT recipients, with an increased likelihood of progressing to severe disease, with the need of hospitalization, admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) and mechanical ventilatory support. This article presents an updated review of different aspects related to the outcome of COVID-19 in SOT recipients. In nvaccinated SOT recipients, COVID-19 is associated with a high mortality rate, in-patient care and ICU admission, and impaired graft function or rejection in severe disease. In vaccinated SOT recipients even after full vaccination, there is a reduction of the risk of mortality, but the course of COVID-19 may continue to be severe, influenced by the time from transplant, the net state of immunosuppression and having suffered graft rejection or dysfunction. SOT recipients develop lower immunity from mRNA vaccines with suboptimal response. Treatment with mAbs provides favorable outcomes in non-hospitalized SOT recipients at high risk for severe disease, with lower rates of hospitalization, emergency department visits, ICU care, progression to severe disease, and death. However, broad vaccination and therapeutic options are required, particularly in light of the tendency of the SARS-CoV-2 virus to adapt and evade both natural and vaccine-induced immunity.
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Affiliation(s)
- F J Candel
- Dr. Francisco Javier Candel. Enfermedades Infecciosas y Microbiología Clínica, Coordinación de Trasplantes, Banco de Tejidos, Hospital Clínico San Carlos, Hospital Clínico Universitario San Carlos, Madrid, Spain.
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Chiang HL, Liang KH, Lu RM, Kuo TW, Lin YL, Wu HC. Broadly neutralizing human antibodies against Omicron subvariants of SARS-CoV-2. J Biomed Sci 2023; 30:59. [PMID: 37525188 PMCID: PMC10388472 DOI: 10.1186/s12929-023-00955-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The COVID-19 pandemic continues to pose a significant worldwide threat to human health, as emerging SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variants exhibit resistance to therapeutic antibodies and the ability to evade vaccination-induced antibodies. Here, we aimed to identify human antibodies (hAbs) from convalescent patients that are potent and broadly neutralizing toward Omicron sublineages. METHODS Using a single B-cell cloning approach, we isolated BA.5 specific human antibodies. We further examined the neutralizing activities of the most promising neutralizing hAbs toward different variants of concern (VOCs) with pseudotyped virus. RESULTS Sixteen hAbs showed strong neutralizing activities against Omicron BA.5 with low IC50 values (IC50 < 20 ng/mL). Among four of the most promising neutralizing hAbs (RBD-hAb-B22, -B23, -B25 and -B34), RBD-hAb-B22 exhibited the most potent and broad neutralization profiles across Omicron subvariant pseudoviruses, with low IC50 values (7.7-41.6 ng/mL) and a low PRNT50 value (3.8 ng/mL) in plaque assays with authentic BA.5. It also showed potent therapeutic effects in BA.5-infected K18-hACE2 mice. CONCLUSIONS Thus, our efficient screening of BA.5-specific neutralizing hAbs from breakthrough infectious convalescent donors successfully yielded hAbs with potent therapeutic potential against multiple SARS-CoV-2 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hsiao-Ling Chiang
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kang-Hao Liang
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ruei-Min Lu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Ting-Wen Kuo
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ling Lin
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-Chung Wu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, No. 128, Academia Road, Section 2, Nankang, Taipei, 11529, Taiwan.
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Jiao Y, Xing Y, Sun Y. Impact of E484Q and L452R Mutations on Structure and Binding Behavior of SARS-CoV-2 B.1.617.1 Using Deep Learning AlphaFold2, Molecular Docking and Dynamics Simulation. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:11564. [PMID: 37511322 PMCID: PMC10380202 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241411564] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
During the outbreak of COVID-19, many SARS-CoV-2 variants presented key amino acid mutations that influenced their binding abilities with angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) and neutralizing antibodies. For the B.1.617 lineage, there had been fears that two key mutations, i.e., L452R and E484Q, would have additive effects on the evasion of neutralizing antibodies. In this paper, we systematically investigated the impact of the L452R and E484Q mutations on the structure and binding behavior of B.1.617.1 using deep learning AlphaFold2, molecular docking and dynamics simulation. We firstly predicted and verified the structure of the S protein containing L452R and E484Q mutations via the AlphaFold2-calculated pLDDT value and compared it with the experimental structure. Next, a molecular simulation was performed to reveal the structural and interaction stabilities of the S protein of the double mutant variant with hACE2. We found that the double mutations, L452R and E484Q, could lead to a decrease in hydrogen bonds and higher interaction energy between the S protein and hACE2, demonstrating the lower structural stability and the worse binding affinity in the long dynamic evolutional process, even though the molecular docking showed the lower binding energy score of the S1 RBD of the double mutant variant with hACE2 than that of the wild type (WT) with hACE2. In addition, docking to three approved neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) showed a reduced binding affinity of the double mutant variant, suggesting a lower neutralization ability of the mAbs against the double mutant variant. Our study helps lay the foundation for further SARS-CoV-2 studies and provides bioinformatics and computational insights into how the double mutations lead to immune evasion, which could offer guidance for subsequent biomedical studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yanqi Jiao
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yichen Xing
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
| | - Yao Sun
- School of Science, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen), Shenzhen 518055, China
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Abstract
The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) that causes the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has significantly altered people's way of life. Despite widespread knowledge of vaccination, mask use, and avoidance of close contact, COVID-19 is still spreading around the world. Numerous research teams are examining the SARS-CoV-2 infection process to discover strategies to identify, prevent, and treat COVID-19 to limit the spread of this chronic coronavirus illness and restore lives to normalcy. Nanobodies have advantages over polyclonal and monoclonal antibodies (Ab) and Ab fragments, including reduced size, high stability, simplicity in manufacture, compatibility with genetic engineering methods, and lack of solubility and aggregation issues. Recent studies have shown that nanobodies that target the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain and disrupt ACE2 interactions are helpful in the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected animal models, despite the lack of evidence in human patients. The creation and evaluation of nanobodies, as well as their diagnostic and therapeutic applications against COVID-19, are discussed in this paper.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuemei Feng
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, College
of Medicine and Health Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
| | - Hu Wang
- Department
of Microbiology and Immunology, College
of Medicine and Health Science, China Three Gorges University, Yichang 443002, China
- Institute
of Cell Engineering, School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore 21215, United States
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Rocha VPC, Quadros HC, Fernandes AMS, Gonçalves LP, Badaró RJDS, Soares MBP, Machado BAS. An Overview of the Conventional and Novel Methods Employed for SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Measurement. Viruses 2023; 15:1504. [PMID: 37515190 PMCID: PMC10383723 DOI: 10.3390/v15071504] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2023] [Revised: 07/01/2023] [Accepted: 07/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/30/2023] Open
Abstract
SARS-CoV-2 is the etiological agent of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the pandemic that started in 2020. The virus enters the host cell through the interaction of its spike glycoprotein with the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) on the host cell's surface. Antibodies present an important role during the infection and pathogenesis due to many reasons, including the neutralization of viruses by binding to different spike epitopes. Therefore, measuring the neutralizing antibody titers in the whole population is important for COVID-19's epidemiology. Different methods are described in the literature, and some have been used to validate the main vaccines used worldwide. In this review, we discuss the main methods used to quantify neutralizing antibody titers, their advantages and limitations, as well as new approaches to determineACE2/spike blockage by antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vinícius Pinto Costa Rocha
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Gonçalo Moniz Institute-Fiocruz, Salvador 40296-710, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Helenita Costa Quadros
- Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Gonçalo Moniz Institute-Fiocruz, Salvador 40296-710, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Antônio Márcio Santana Fernandes
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Luana Pereira Gonçalves
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Roberto José da Silva Badaró
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Milena Botelho Pereira Soares
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
- Laboratory of Tissue Engineering and Immunopharmacology, Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Gonçalo Moniz Institute-Fiocruz, Salvador 40296-710, Bahia, Brazil
| | - Bruna Aparecida Souza Machado
- Institute of Health Technology, National Industrial Learning Service-Integrated Manufacturing and Technology Campus, SENAI CIMATEC, Salvador 41650-010, Bahia, Brazil
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McCarthy MW. Optimizing the use of vilobelimab for the treatment of COVID-19. Expert Opin Biol Ther 2023; 23:877-881. [PMID: 37421632 DOI: 10.1080/14712598.2023.2235269] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2023] [Revised: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/10/2023]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION On 4 April 2023i4 April 2023, the United States Food and Drug Administration issued an emergency use authorization for the use of vilobelimab (GohibicTM) for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized adults when initiated within 48 hours of receiving invasive mechanical ventilation or extracorporeal membrane oxygenation. AREAS COVERED Vilobelimab is a human-mouse chimeric IgG4 kappa antibody that targets human complement component 5a, a part of the immune system that is thought to play an important role in the systemic inflammation due to SARS-CoV-2 infection that leads to COVID-19 disease progression. EXPERT OPINION A pragmatic, adaptive, randomized, multicenter phase II/III study evaluating vilobelimab for the treatment of severe COVID-19 found that patients receiving invasive mechanical ventilation and usual care who were treated with vilobelimab had a lower risk of death by day 28 and day 60 compared to those receiving placebo. This manuscript explores what is known about vilobelimab and explores how this treatment may be used in the future to treat severe COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew W McCarthy
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, NY, United States of America
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Papi M, De Spirito M, Palmieri V. Nanotechnology in the COVID-19 era: Carbon-based nanomaterials as a promising solution. Carbon N Y 2023; 210:118058. [PMID: 37151958 PMCID: PMC10148660 DOI: 10.1016/j.carbon.2023.118058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2023] [Revised: 04/20/2023] [Accepted: 04/25/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023]
Abstract
The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to collaboration between nanotechnology scientists, industry stakeholders, and clinicians to develop solutions for diagnostics, prevention, and treatment of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infections. Nanomaterials, including carbon-based materials (CBM) such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, have been studied for their potential in viral research. CBM unique effects on microorganisms, immune interaction, and sensitivity in diagnostics have made them a promising subject of SARS-CoV-2 research. This review discusses the interaction of CBM with SARS-CoV-2 and their applicability, including CBM physical and chemical properties, the known interactions between CBM and viral components, and the proposed prevention, treatment, and diagnostics uses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Massimiliano Papi
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, Largo A. Gemelli, 8 00168, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168, Italy
| | - Marco De Spirito
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, Largo A. Gemelli, 8 00168, Rome, Italy
- Dipartimento di Neuroscienze, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Largo Francesco Vito 1, 00168, Italy
| | - Valentina Palmieri
- Fondazione Policlinico Universitario "A. Gemelli" IRCSS, Largo A. Gemelli, 8 00168, Rome, Italy
- Istituto dei Sistemi Complessi, CNR, Via dei Taurini 19, 00185, Rome, Italy
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Passariello M, Esposito S, Manna L, Rapuano Lembo R, Zollo I, Sasso E, Amato F, De Lorenzo C. Comparative Analysis of a Human Neutralizing mAb Specific for SARS-CoV-2 Spike-RBD with Cilgavimab and Tixagevimab for the Efficacy on the Omicron Variant in Neutralizing and Detection Assays. Int J Mol Sci 2023; 24:10053. [PMID: 37373201 DOI: 10.3390/ijms241210053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2023] [Revised: 06/08/2023] [Accepted: 06/11/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
The recent pandemic years have prompted the scientific community to increasingly search for and adopt new and more efficient therapeutic and diagnostic approaches to deal with a new infection. In addition to the development of vaccines, which has played a leading role in fighting the pandemic, the development of monoclonal antibodies has also represented a valid approach in the prevention and treatment of many cases of CoronaVirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Recently, we reported the development of a human antibody, named D3, showing neutralizing activity against different SARS-CoV-2 variants, wild-type, UK, Delta and Gamma variants. Here, we have further characterized with different methods D3's ability to bind the Omicron-derived recombinant RBD by comparing it with the antibodies Cilgavimab and Tixagevimab, recently approved for prophylactic use of COVID-19. We demonstrate here that D3 binds to a distinct epitope from that recognized by Cilgavimab and shows a different binding kinetic behavior. Furthermore, we report that the ability of D3 to bind the recombinant Omicron RBD domain in vitro results in a good ability to also neutralize Omicron-pseudotyped virus infection in ACE2-expressing cell cultures. We point out here that D3 mAb maintains a good ability to recognize both the wild-type and Omicron Spike proteins, either when used as recombinant purified proteins or when expressed on pseudoviral particles despite the different variants, making it particularly useful both from a therapeutic and diagnostic point of view. On the basis of these results, we propose to exploit this mAb for combinatorial treatments with other neutralizing mAbs to increase their therapeutic efficacy and for diagnostic use to measure the viral load in biological samples in the current and future pandemic waves of coronaviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margherita Passariello
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Speranza Esposito
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Manna
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Rosa Rapuano Lembo
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
- European School of Molecular Medicine, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, MI, Italy
| | - Immacolata Zollo
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Emanuele Sasso
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Felice Amato
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
| | - Claudia De Lorenzo
- Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, NA, Italy
- Ceinge-Biotecnologie Avanzate s.c. a.r.l., Via Gaetano Salvatore 486, 80145 Naples, NA, Italy
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Jacobson GM, Kraakman K, Wallace O, Pan J, Hennebry A, Smolenski G, Cursons R, Hodgkinson S, Williamson A, Kelton W. Immunogenic fusion proteins induce neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies in the serum and milk of sheep. Biotechnol Rep (Amst) 2023; 38:e00791. [PMID: 36915646 PMCID: PMC9995299 DOI: 10.1016/j.btre.2023.e00791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 03/03/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023]
Abstract
Antigen-specific polyclonal immunoglobulins derived from the serum, colostrum, or milk of immunized ruminant animals have potential as scalable therapeutics for the control of viral diseases including COVID-19. Here we show that the immunization of sheep with fusions of the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD) to ovine IgG2a Fc domains promotes significantly higher levels of antigen-specific antibodies compared to native RBD or full-length spike antigens. This antibody population contained elevated levels of neutralizing antibodies that suppressed binding between the RBD and hACE2 receptors in vitro. A second immune-stimulating fusion candidate, Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF), induced high neutralizing responses in select animals but narrowly missed achieving significance. We further demonstrated that the antibodies induced by these fusion antigens were transferred into colostrum/milk and possessed cross-neutralizing activity against diverse SARS-CoV-2 variants. Our findings highlight a new pathway for recombinant antigen design in ruminant animals with applications in immune milk production and animal health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory M Jacobson
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Kirsty Kraakman
- Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.,Ruakura Technologies Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Olivia Wallace
- Ruakura Technologies Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Jolyn Pan
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Alex Hennebry
- Ruakura Technologies Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Grant Smolenski
- Ruakura Technologies Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Ray Cursons
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - Steve Hodgkinson
- Ruakura Technologies Ltd, Ruakura Research Centre, Hamilton 3214, New Zealand
| | - Adele Williamson
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
| | - William Kelton
- Te Aka Mātuatua School of Science, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand.,Te Huataki Waiora School of Health, University of Waikato, Hamilton 3240, New Zealand
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Granata V, Fusco R, Villanacci A, Grassi F, Grassi R, Di Stefano F, Petrone A, Fusco N, Ianniello S. Qualitative and semi-quantitative ultrasound assessment in delta and Omicron Covid-19 patients: data from high volume reference center. Infect Agent Cancer 2023; 18:34. [PMID: 37245026 DOI: 10.1186/s13027-023-00515-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Accepted: 05/24/2023] [Indexed: 05/29/2023] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE to evaluate the efficacy of US, both qualitatively and semi-quantitatively, in the selection of treatment for the Covid-19 patient, using patient triage as the gold standard. METHODS Patients admitted to the Covid-19 clinic to be treated with monoclonal antibodies (mAb) or retroviral treatment and undergoing lung ultrasound (US) were selected from the radiological data set between December 2021 and May 2022 according to the following inclusion criteria: patients with proven Omicron variant and Delta Covid-19 infection; patients with known Covid-19 vaccination with at least two doses. Lung US (LUS) was performed by experienced radiologists. The presence, location, and distribution of abnormalities, such as B-lines, thickening or ruptures of the pleural line, consolidations, and air bronchograms, were evaluated. The anomalous findings in each scan were classified according to the LUS scoring system. Nonparametric statistical tests were performed. RESULTS The LUS score median value in the patients with Omicron variant was 1.5 (1-20) while the LUS score median value in the patients with Delta variant was 7 (3-24). A difference statistically significant was observed for LUS score values among the patients with Delta variant between the two US examinations (p value = 0.045 at Kruskal Wallis test). There was a difference in median LUS score values between hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients for both the Omicron and Delta groups (p value = 0.02 on the Kruskal Wallis test). For Delta patients groups the sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative predictive values, considering a value of 14 for LUS score for the hospitalization, were of 85.29%, 44.44%, 85.29% and 76.74% respectively. CONCLUSIONS LUS is an interesting diagnostic tool in the context of Covid-19, it could allow to identify the typical pattern of diffuse interstitial pulmonary syndrome and could guide the correct management of patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vincenza Granata
- Division of Radiology, "Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS Fondazione Pascale - IRCCS di Napoli", 80131, Naples, Italy
| | | | - Alberta Villanacci
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Francesca Grassi
- Division of Radiology, "Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
- Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM), SIRM Foundation, Via della Signora 2, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Roberta Grassi
- Division of Radiology, "Università degli Studi della Campania Luigi Vanvitelli", Naples, Italy
- Italian Society of Medical and Interventional Radiology (SIRM), SIRM Foundation, Via della Signora 2, 20122, Milan, Italy
| | - Federica Di Stefano
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Ada Petrone
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Nicoletta Fusco
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani, 00149, Rome, Italy
| | - Stefania Ianniello
- Department of Radiology and Diagnostic Imaging, National Institute for Infectious Diseases IRCCS Lazzaro Spallanzani, 00149, Rome, Italy
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Kaewchim K, Glab-ampai K, Mahasongkram K, Saenlom T, Thepsawat W, Chulanetra M, Choowongkomon K, Sookrung N, Chaicumpa W. Neutralizing and Enhancing Epitopes of the SARS-CoV-2 Receptor-Binding Domain (RBD) Identified by Nanobodies. Viruses 2023; 15:1252. [PMID: 37376552 PMCID: PMC10301551 DOI: 10.3390/v15061252] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/11/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Engineered nanobodies (VHs) to the SARS-CoV-2 receptor-binding domain (RBD) were generated using phage display technology. A recombinant Wuhan RBD served as bait in phage panning to fish out nanobody-displaying phages from a VH/VHH phage display library. Sixteen phage-infected E. coli clones produced nanobodies with 81.79-98.96% framework similarity to human antibodies; thus, they may be regarded as human nanobodies. Nanobodies of E. coli clones 114 and 278 neutralized SARS-CoV-2 infectivity in a dose-dependent manner; nanobodies of clones 103 and 105 enhanced the virus's infectivity by increasing the cytopathic effect (CPE) in an infected Vero E6 monolayer. These four nanobodies also bound to recombinant Delta and Omicron RBDs and native SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. The neutralizing VH114 epitope contains the previously reported VYAWN motif (Wuhan RBD residues 350-354). The linear epitope of neutralizing VH278 at Wuhan RBD 319RVQPTESIVRFPNITN334 is novel. In this study, for the first time, we report SARS-CoV-2 RBD-enhancing epitopes, i.e., a linear VH103 epitope at RBD residues 359NCVADVSVLYNSAPFFTFKCYG380, and the VH105 epitope, most likely conformational and formed by residues in three RBD regions that are spatially juxtaposed upon the protein folding. Data obtained in this way are useful for the rational design of subunit SARS-CoV-2 vaccines that should be devoid of enhancing epitopes. VH114 and VH278 should be tested further for clinical use against COVID-19.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kanasap Kaewchim
- Graduate Program in Immunology, Department of Immunology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand;
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Kittirat Glab-ampai
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Kodchakorn Mahasongkram
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Thanatsaran Saenlom
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Watayagorn Thepsawat
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Monrat Chulanetra
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
| | - Kiattawee Choowongkomon
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Sciences, Kasetsart University, Bangkok 10900, Thailand;
| | - Nitat Sookrung
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
- Biomedical Research Incubator Unit, Department of Research, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok 10700, Thailand
| | - Wanpen Chaicumpa
- Center of Research Excellence in Therapeutic Proteins and Antibody Engineering, Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Bangkok 10700, Thailand; (K.G.-a.); (K.M.); (T.S.); (W.T.); (M.C.); (N.S.)
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Esposito S, Amirthalingam G, Bassetti M, Blasi F, De Rosa FG, Halasa NB, Hung I, Osterhaus A, Tan T, Torres JP, Vena A, Principi N. Monoclonal antibodies for prophylaxis and therapy of respiratory syncytial virus, SARS-CoV-2, human immunodeficiency virus, rabies and bacterial infections: an update from the World Association of Infectious Diseases and Immunological Disorders and the Italian Society of Antinfective Therapy. Front Immunol 2023; 14:1162342. [PMID: 37256125 PMCID: PMC10226646 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2023.1162342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/09/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 06/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies (mABs) are safe and effective proteins produced in laboratory that may be used to target a single epitope of a highly conserved protein of a virus or a bacterial pathogen. For this purpose, the epitope is selected among those that play the major role as targets for prevention of infection or tissue damage. In this paper, characteristics of the most important mABs that have been licensed and used or are in advanced stages of development for use in prophylaxis and therapy of infectious diseases are discussed. We showed that a great number of mABs effective against virus or bacterial infections have been developed, although only in a small number of cases these are licensed for use in clinical practice and have reached the market. Although some examples of therapeutic efficacy have been shown, not unlike more traditional antiviral or antibacterial treatments, their efficacy is significantly greater in prophylaxis or early post-exposure treatment. Although in many cases the use of vaccines is more effective and cost-effective than that of mABs, for many infectious diseases no vaccines have yet been developed and licensed. Furthermore, in emergency situations, like in epidemics or pandemics, the availability of mABs can be an attractive adjunct to our armament to reduce the impact. Finally, the availability of mABs against bacteria can be an important alternative, when multidrug-resistant strains are involved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanna Esposito
- Pediatric Clinic, Pietro Barilla Children’s Hospital, Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy
| | - Gayatri Amirthalingam
- Immunisation and Countermeasures Division, National Infection Service, Public Health England, London, United Kingdom
| | - Matteo Bassetti
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
| | - Francesco Blasi
- Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, Università degli Studi di Milano, Milan, Italy
- Respiratory Unit and Cystic Fibrosis Center, Fondazione IRCCS Cà Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico Milano, Milan, Italy
| | | | - Natasha B. Halasa
- Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, United States
| | - Ivan Hung
- Department of Medicine, School of Clinical Medicine, Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong SAR, China
- Department of Infectious Disease and Microbiology, The University of Hong Kong-Shenzhen Hospital, Shenzhen, China
| | - Albert Osterhaus
- Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses, University of Veterinary Medicine Foundation, Hannover, Germany
| | - Tina Tan
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, United States
| | - Juan Pablo Torres
- Department of Pediatrics and Pediatric Surgery, Facultad de Medicina, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile
- Instituto Sistemas Complejos de Ingeniería (ISCI), Santiago, Chile
| | - Antonio Vena
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Health Sciences (DISSAL), University of Genova, Genoa, Italy
- IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genoa, Italy
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Lu RM, Liang KH, Chiang HL, Hsu FF, Lin HT, Chen WY, Ke FY, Kumari M, Chou YC, Tao MH, Yi-Ling Lin, Wu HC. Broadly neutralizing antibodies against Omicron variants of SARS-CoV-2 derived from mRNA-lipid nanoparticle-immunized mice. Heliyon 2023; 9:e15587. [PMID: 37090428 PMCID: PMC10111857 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e15587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 04/07/2023] [Accepted: 04/14/2023] [Indexed: 08/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic continues to threaten human health worldwide as new variants of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) emerge. Currently, the predominant circulating strains around the world are Omicron variants, which can evade many therapeutic antibodies. Thus, the development of new broadly neutralizing antibodies remains an urgent need. In this work, we address this need by using the mRNA-lipid nanoparticle immunization method to generate a set of Omicron-targeting monoclonal antibodies. Five of our novel K-RBD-mAbs show strong binding and neutralizing activities toward all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron). Notably, the epitopes of these five K-RBD-mAbs are overlapping and localized around Y453 and F486 of the spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD). Chimeric derivatives of the five antibodies (K-RBD-chAbs) neutralize Omicron sublineages BA.1 and BA.2 with low IC50 values ranging from 5.7 to 12.9 ng/mL. Additionally, we performed antibody humanization on broadly neutralizing chimeric antibodies to create K-RBD-hAb-60 and -62, which still retain excellent neutralizing activity against Omicron. Our results collectively suggest that these five therapeutic antibodies may effectively combat current and emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants, including Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. Therefore, the antibodies can potentially be used as universal neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruei-Min Lu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Kang-Hao Liang
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiao-Ling Chiang
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Fu-Fei Hsu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Hsiu-Ting Lin
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wan-Yu Chen
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Feng-Yi Ke
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Monika Kumari
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chi Chou
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Mi-Hua Tao
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ling Lin
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Biomedical Sciences (IBMS), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Han-Chung Wu
- Biomedical Translation Research Center (BioTReC), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Institute of Cellular and Organismic Biology (ICOB), Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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