Nasal delivery of an IgM offers broad protection from SARS-CoV-2 variants.

Resistance represents a major challenge for antibody-based therapy for COVID-19. Here we engineered an immunoglobulin M (IgM) neutralizing antibody (IgM-14) to overcome the resistance encountered by immunoglobulin G (IgG)-based therapeutics. IgM-14 is over 230-fold more potent than its parental IgG-14 in neutralizing SARS-CoV-2.

Design, creation and in vitro testing of a reduced immunogenicity humanized anti-CD25 monoclonal antibody that retains functional activity.

Humanized and fully human sequence-derived therapeutic antibodies retain the capacity to induce anti-drug antibodies. Daclizumab (humanized version of the murine anti-Tac antibody; E.HAT) was selected for a proof of concept application of engineering approaches to reduce potential immunogenicity due to its demonstrated immunogenicity in the clinic.

The CD25-binding antibody Daclizumab High-Yield Process has a distinct glycosylation pattern and reduced antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity in comparison to Zenapax®.

The CD25-binding antibody daclizumab high-yield process (DAC HYP) is an interleukin (IL)-2 signal modulating antibody that shares primary amino acid sequence and CD25 binding affinity with Zenapax®, a distinct form of daclizumab, which was approved for the prevention of acute organ rejection in patients receiving renal transplants as part of an immunosuppressive regimen that includes cyclosporine and corticosteroids. Comparison of the physicochemical properties of the two antibody forms revealed the glycosylation profile of DAC HYP differs from Zenapax in both glycan distribution and the types of oligosaccharides, most notably high-mannose, galactosylated and galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal) oligosaccharides, resulting in a DAC HYP antibody material that is structurally distinct from Zenapax. Although neither antibody elicited complement-dependent cytotoxicity in vitro, DAC HYP antibody had significantly reduced levels of antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity (ADCC).

An engineered human IgG1 antibody with longer serum half-life.

The serum half-life of IgG Abs is regulated by the neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn). By binding to FcRn in endosomes, IgG Abs are salvaged from lysosomal degradation and recycled to the circulation. Several studies have demonstrated a correlation between the binding affinity of IgG Abs to FcRn and their serum half-lives in mice, including engineered Ab fragments with longer serum half-lives.

Design of humanized antibodies: from anti-Tac to Zenapax.

Since the introduction of hybridoma technology, monoclonal antibodies have become one of the most important tools in the biosciences, finding diverse applications including their use in the therapy of human disease. Initial attempts to use monoclonal antibodies as therapeutics were hampered, however, by the potent immunogenicity of mouse (and other rodent) antibodies in humans. Humanization technology has made it possible to remove the immunogenicity associated with the use of rodent antibodies, or at least to reduce it to an acceptable level for clinical use in humans, thus facilitating the application of monoclonal antibodies to the treatment of human disease.

Engineered human IgG antibodies with longer serum half-lives in primates.

The neonatal Fc receptor (FcRn) plays an important role in regulating the serum half-lives of IgG antibodies. A correlation has been established between the pH-dependent binding affinity of IgG antibodies to FcRn and their serum half-lives in mice. In this study, molecular modeling was used to identify Fc positions near the FcRn binding site in a human IgG antibody that, when mutated, might alter the binding affinity of IgG to FcRn.