With the emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants, the spike protein becomes increasingly mutated, making vaccines and therapies less effective. Many of the therapeutic antibodies used to treat the ancestral Wuhan strain are now ineffective against the Omicron variants due to these spike mutations. Here, Nikitin et al. created a triple-antibody cocktail of human antibodies against SARS-CoV-2.
They found that this combination potently neutralized all variants of concern, including Omicron BA.1 and BA.2. This correlated to robust clearance of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, including Omicron BA.1, in a hamster model. Structural analyses showed that the three antibodies recognized nonoverlapping portions of the spike protein, suggesting that they might better recognize new spike mutations in future variants of concern. Thus, the authors describe potent antibody cocktail for treating SARS-CoV-2 and its variants of concern.
Pavel A. Nikitin et al. ,IMM-BCP-01, a patient-derived antiSARS-CoV-2 antibody cocktail, is active across variants of concern including Omicron BA.1 and BA.2.Sci. Immunol.7,eabl9943(2022).DOI:10.1126/sciimmunol.abl9943
