COVA1-18 neutralizing antibody protects against SARS-CoV-2 in three preclinical models.

Journal Article (Journal Article)

Effective treatments against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) are urgently needed. Monoclonal antibodies have shown promising results in patients. Here, we evaluate the in vivo prophylactic and therapeutic effect of COVA1-18, a neutralizing antibody highly potent against the B.1.1.7 isolate. In both prophylactic and therapeutic settings, SARS-CoV-2 remains undetectable in the lungs of treated hACE2 mice. Therapeutic treatment also causes a reduction in viral loads in the lungs of Syrian hamsters. When administered at 10 mg kg-1 one day prior to a high dose SARS-CoV-2 challenge in cynomolgus macaques, COVA1-18 shows very strong antiviral activity in the upper respiratory compartments. Using a mathematical model, we estimate that COVA1-18 reduces viral infectivity by more than 95% in these compartments, preventing lymphopenia and extensive lung lesions. Our findings demonstrate that COVA1-18 has a strong antiviral activity in three preclinical models and could be a valuable candidate for further clinical evaluation.

Full Text

Duke Authors

Cited Authors

  • Maisonnasse, P; Aldon, Y; Marc, A; Marlin, R; Dereuddre-Bosquet, N; Kuzmina, NA; Freyn, AW; Snitselaar, JL; Gonçalves, A; Caniels, TG; Burger, JA; Poniman, M; Bontjer, I; Chesnais, V; Diry, S; Iershov, A; Ronk, AJ; Jangra, S; Rathnasinghe, R; Brouwer, PJM; Bijl, TPL; van Schooten, J; Brinkkemper, M; Liu, H; Yuan, M; Mire, CE; van Breemen, MJ; Contreras, V; Naninck, T; Lemaître, J; Kahlaoui, N; Relouzat, F; Chapon, C; Ho Tsong Fang, R; McDanal, C; Osei-Twum, M; St-Amant, N; Gagnon, L; Montefiori, DC; Wilson, IA; Ginoux, E; de Bree, GJ; García-Sastre, A; Schotsaert, M; Coughlan, L; Bukreyev, A; van der Werf, S; Guedj, J; Sanders, RW; van Gils, MJ; Le Grand, R

Published Date

  • October 20, 2021

Published In

Volume / Issue

  • 12 / 1

Start / End Page

  • 6097 -

PubMed ID

  • 34671037

Pubmed Central ID

  • PMC8528857

Electronic International Standard Serial Number (EISSN)

  • 2041-1723

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

  • 10.1038/s41467-021-26354-0

Language

  • eng

Conference Location

  • England