A potent bispecific nanobody protects hACE2 mice against SARS-CoV-2 infection via intranasal administration.

Cell Rep

School of Life Sciences, Ningxia University, Yinchuan, People's Republic of China; Jiangsu Key Laboratory of Molecular Medicine, Medical School, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China; State Key Laboratory of Analytical Chemistry for Life Science, Nanjing University, Nanjing, People's Republic of China. Electronic address:

Published: October 2021

The dramatically expanding coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) needs multiple effective countermeasures. Neutralizing nanobodies (Nbs) are a potential therapeutic strategy for treating COVID-19. Here, we characterize several receptor binding domain (RBD)-specific Nbs isolated from an Nb library derived from an alpaca immunized with the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike glycoprotein (S); among them, three Nbs exhibit picomolar potency against SARS-CoV-2 live virus, pseudotyped viruses, and circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants. To improve their efficacy, various configurations of Nbs are engineered. Nb-Nb-Nb, a trimer constituted of three Nbs, is constructed to be bispecific for human serum albumin (HSA) and RBD of SARS-CoV-2. Nb-Nb-Nb exhibits single-digit ng/ml neutralization potency against the wild-type and Delta variants of SARS-CoV-2 with a long half-life in vivo. In addition, we show that intranasal administration of Nb-Nb-Nb provides effective protection for both prophylactic and therapeutic purposes against SARS-CoV-2 infection in transgenic hACE2 mice. Nb-Nb-Nb is a potential candidate for both the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 through respiratory administration.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8492916PMC
http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109869DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

hace2 mice
8
sars-cov-2
8
sars-cov-2 infection
8
intranasal administration
8
three nbs
8
nbs
5
potent bispecific
4
bispecific nanobody
4
nanobody protects
4
protects hace2
4

Similar Publications

Amidst growing concerns over COVID-19 aftereffects like fatigue and cognitive issues, NRICM101, a traditional Chinese medicine, has shown promise. Used by over 2 million people globally, it notably reduces hospitalizations and intubations in COVID-19 patients. To explore whether NRICM101 could combat COVID-19 brain fog, we tested NRICM101 on hACE2 transgenic mice administered the S1 protein of SARS-CoV-2, aiming to mitigate S1-induced cognitive issues by measuring animal behaviors, immunohistochemistry (IHC) staining, and next-generation sequencing (NGS) analysis.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants with defined mutations that enhance pathogenicity or facilitate immune evasion has resulted in a continual decline in the protective efficacy of existing vaccines. Therefore, there is a pressing need for a vaccine capable of combating future variants. In this study, we designed new mRNA vaccines, BSCoV05 and BSCoV06, and generated point mutations in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the original Wuhan strain to increase their broad-spectrum antiviral activity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Post-COVID metabolic enzyme alterations in K18-hACE2 mice exacerbate alcohol-induced liver injury through transcriptional regulation.

Free Radic Biol Med

January 2025

Korea Mouse Phenotyping Center, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, Research Institute for Veterinary Science, and BK21 PLUS Program for Creative Veterinary Science Research, College of Veterinary Medicine, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea; Interdisciplinary Program for Bioinformatics, Program for Cancer Biology and BIO-MAX/N-Bio Institute, Seoul National University, Seoul 08826, Republic of Korea. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • COVID-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, poses serious global health risks, including the potential for secondary liver injury related to metabolic enzyme changes.
  • This study explores how prior infection with SARS-CoV-2 affects alcohol-induced liver damage, using transgenic mice that express human ACE2.
  • Results showed that infected mice experienced worsened liver injury after alcohol consumption, with alterations in metabolic enzymes and increased levels of a toxic alcohol byproduct, indicating a complex interaction between COVID-19 and alcohol effects on the liver.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

SARS-CoV-2-induced cytokine storm drives prolonged testicular injury and functional impairment in mice that are mitigated by dexamethasone.

PLoS Pathog

January 2025

Department of Tropical Medicine, Medical Microbiology and Pharmacology, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States of America.

Compromised male reproductive health, including reduced testosterone and sperm count, is one of the long COVID symptoms in individuals recovering from mild-severe disease. COVID-19 patients display testicular injury in the acute stage and altered serum fertility markers in the recovery phase, however, long-term implications on the testis remain unknown. This study characterized the consequences of SARS-CoV-2 on testis function.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The continuing emergence of immune evasive SARS-CoV-2 variants and the previous SARS-CoV-1 outbreak collectively underscore the need for broadly protective sarbecovirus vaccines. Targeting the conserved S2 subunit of SARS-CoV-2 is a particularly promising approach to elicit broad protection. Here, we describe a nanoparticle vaccine displaying multiple copies of the SARS-CoV-1 S2 subunit.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!