Identification of epitopes on SARS-CoV-2 viral particles for rapid development of neutralizing antibodies

Important results from the project

The main goal of the project was to use our antibody discovery platform, Abiprot, for the discovery of unique epitopes and development of neutralising antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. The project has resulted in a total of nine putative epitopes and 45 antibodies, two of which (30G10 and 25D5) showed 50% neutralisation against the D614G strain. The project also aimed at optimising the platform for use with patient derived material. This aim was fulfilled by applying AbiProt to patient samples, leading to the successful identification of unique epitope regions on SARS-CoV-2.

Expected long term effects

Neutralising antibodies can be an option for the treatment of covid-19. We have used our technology platform Abiprot to develop antibodies against SARS-CoV-2. Nine unique epitopes were identified, and 45 antibodies were developed. Two antibodies (30G10 and 25D5) showed 50% neutralisation against the SARS-CoV-2 D614G variant, and three antibodies blocked binding of ACE2 to the receptor binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 gamma variant in a commercial assay. Taken together, our results show that Abiprot can be applied to novel viruses to isolate binding and neutralising antibodies.

Approach and implementation

Our Abiprot platform was applied to patient derived and cultured SARS-CoV-2, leading to the identification of nine unique, potential epitopes on the viral surface. Based on the identified epitopes, peptide antigens were designed and used in hybridoma and phage display antibody discovery campaigns, leading to the identification and production of 45 antibodies. To identify neutralising and spike binding antibodies, a set of binding and functional assays were performed, including live virus neutralisation assays, identifying two neutralising antibodies (50% neutralisation).