ABSTRACT
Coronaviruses have caused several epidemics and pandemics including the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Some prophylactic vaccines and therapeutic antibodies have already showed striking effectiveness against COVID-19. Nevertheless, concerns remain about antigenic drift in SARS-CoV-2 as well as threats from other sarbecoviruses. Cross-neutralizing antibodies to SARS-related viruses provide opportunities to address such concerns. Here, we report on crystal structures of a cross-neutralizing antibody CV38-142 in complex with the receptor binding domains from SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Our structural findings provide mechanistic insights into how this antibody can accommodate antigenic variation in these viruses. CV38-142 synergizes with other cross-neutralizing antibodies, in particular COVA1-16, to enhance neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 and SARS-CoV. Overall, this study provides valuable information for vaccine and therapeutic design to address current and future antigenic drift in SARS-CoV-2 and to protect against zoonotic coronaviruses.
Competing Interest Statement
A patent application for SARS-CoV-2 antibody CV38-142 was first disclosed in (Kreye et al, 2020) and filed under application number 20182069.3 by some of the authors at Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) and Charite-Universitatsmedizin Berlin. The Amsterdam UMC filed a patent on SARS-CoV-2 antibodies including COVA1-16 under application number 2020-039EP-PR that included the AMC authors on this paper.
