Potent neutralizing antibodies from COVID-19 patients define multiple targets of vulnerability.
Philip J M BrouwerTom G CanielsKarlijn van der StratenJonne L SnitselaarYoann AldonSandhya BangaruJonathan L TorreNisreen M A OkbaMathieu ClaireauxGius KersterArthur E H BentlageMarlies M van HaarenDenise GuerraJudith A BurgerEdith E SchermerKirsten D VerheulNiels van der VeldeAlex van der KooiJelle van SchootenMariëlle J van BreemenTom P L BijlKwinten SliepenAafke AartseRonald DerkingIlja BontjerNeeltje A KootstraWillem Joost WiersingaGestur VidarssonBart L HaagmansAndrew B WardGodelieve J de BreeRogier W SandersMarit J VAN GilsPublished in: Science (New York, N.Y.) (2020)
The rapid spread of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has had a large impact on global health, travel, and economy. Therefore, preventative and therapeutic measures are urgently needed. Here, we isolated monoclonal antibodies from three convalescent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients using a SARS-CoV-2 stabilized prefusion spike protein. These antibodies had low levels of somatic hypermutation and showed a strong enrichment in VH1-69, VH3-30-3, and VH1-24 gene usage. A subset of the antibodies was able to potently inhibit authentic SARS-CoV-2 infection at a concentration as low as 0.007 micrograms per milliliter. Competition and electron microscopy studies illustrate that the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein contains multiple distinct antigenic sites, including several receptor-binding domain (RBD) epitopes as well as non-RBD epitopes. In addition to providing guidance for vaccine design, the antibodies described here are promising candidates for COVID-19 treatment and prevention.