Summary
Memory B cells (MBCs) represent a second layer of immune protection against SARS-CoV-2. Whether MBCs elicited by mRNA vaccines can recognize the Omicron variant is of major concern. We used bio-layer interferometry to assess the affinity against the receptor-binding-domain (RBD) of Omicron spike of 313 naturally expressed monoclonal IgG that were previously tested for affinity and neutralization against VOC prior to Omicron. We report here that Omicron evades recognition from a larger fraction of these antibodies than any of the previous VOCs. Additionally, whereas 30% of these antibodies retained high affinity against Omicron-RBD, our analysis suggest that Omicron specifically evades antibodies displaying potent neutralizing activity against the D614G and Beta variant viruses. Further studies are warranted to understand the consequences of a lower memory B cell potency on the overall protection associated with current vaccines.
Competing Interest Statement
Outside of the submitted work, M. Mahevas. received research funds from GSK and personal fees from LFB and Amgen. J.-C.W. received consulting fees from Institut Merieux. P.B. received consulting fees from Regeneron Pharmaceuticals. J.-M.P. received personal fees from Abbvie, Gilead, Merck, and Siemens Healthcare. F.R. is a member of the board of MELETIOS Therapeutics and of the Scientific Advisory Board of eureKARE.
