The emergence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) lineages that are more transmissible and resistant to currently approved antibody therapies poses a considerable challenge to the clinical treatment of coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Therefore, the need for ongoing discovery efforts to identify broadly reactive monoclonal antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 is of utmost importance. Here, we report a panel of SARS-CoV-2 antibodies isolated using the linking B cell receptor to antigen specificity through sequencing (LIBRA-seq) technology from an individual who recovered from COVID-19. Of these antibodies, 54042-4 shows potent neutralization against authentic SARS-CoV-2 viruses, including variants of concern (VOCs). A cryoelectron microscopy (cryo-EM) structure of 54042-4 in complex with the SARS-CoV-2 spike reveals an epitope composed of residues that are highly conserved in currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 lineages. Further, 54042-4 possesses uncommon genetic and structural characteristics that distinguish it from other potently neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 antibodies. Together, these findings provide motivation for the development of 54042-4 as a lead candidate to counteract current and future SARS-CoV-2 VOCs.
Keywords: COVID-19; Delta variant; LIBRA-seq; SARS-CoV-2; antibody discovery; cryo-EM; monoclonal antibodies biology.
Copyright © 2021 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.