Potent neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients define multiple targets of vulnerability

TLDR

SARS‑CoV‑2 possesses vulnerable sites that can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies, offering a potential therapeutic strategy for COVID‑19. The authors isolated 403 monoclonal antibodies from three convalescent COVID‑19 patients. The antibodies elicited strong spike‑protein responses, with a subset neutralizing the virus and targeting diverse spike epitopes, including two potent antibodies that bind the receptor‑binding domain. Published in Science, p.

Abstract

Sites of vulnerability in SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies that neutralize severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) could be an important tool in treating coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Brouwer et al. isolated 403 monoclonal antibodies from three convalescent COVID-19 patients. They show that the patients had strong immune responses against the viral spike protein, a complex that binds to receptors on the host cell. A subset of antibodies was able to neutralize the virus. Competition and electron microscopy studies showed that these antibodies target diverse epitopes on the spike, with the two most potent targeting the domain that binds the host receptor. Science , this issue p. 643