Harbour BioMed, a Rotterdam, US and China biotech, used its antibody discovery technology to help Dutch researchers identify a mAb that prevents SARS-CoV-2 virus from infecting cultured cells. In 2002, the researchers, who are associated with Utrecht University and the Erasmus Medical Center in the Netherlands, had previously worked on discovering mAbs for the 2002/2003 SARS-CoV outbreak. They tested promising candidates from that project in samples of the latest coronavirus. HBM used its H2L2 transgenic mouse technology to generate the antibody, which has the potential to either treat or prevent the infection.

Because the antibody binds to a domain that is conserved in both SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2, it may prove to be effective against future coronaviruses, the researchers said. All of the people involved noted that much more work needs to be done before the candidate would be approved for use.

A report on the discovery of the mAb was published in Nature Communication.

“This research builds on the work our groups have done in the past on antibodies targeting the SARS-CoV that emerged in 2002/2003,” said Berend-Jan Bosch, PhD, Associate Professor, Research leader at Utrecht University, and co-lead author of the Nature Communications study. “Using this collection of SARS-CoV antibodies, we identified an antibody that also neutralizes infection of SARS-CoV-2 in cultured cells. Such a neutralizing antibody has potential to alter the course of infection in the infected host, support virus clearance or protect an uninfected individual that is exposed to the virus.”

“This discovery provides a strong foundation for additional research to characterize this antibody and begin development as a potential COVID-19 treatment,” said Frank Grosveld, PhD, co-lead author on the study, Academy Professor of Cell Biology, Erasmus Medical Center, Rotterdam and Founding Chief Scientific Officer at Harbour BioMed. “The antibody used in this work is ‘fully human,’ allowing development to proceed more rapidly and reducing the potential for immune-related side effects.”

“This is groundbreaking research,” said Dr. Jingsong Wang, Founder, Chairman & CEO of HBM. “Much more work is needed to assess whether this antibody can protect or reduce the severity of disease in humans. We expect to advance development of the antibody with partners. We believe our technology can contribute to addressing this most urgent public health need and we are pursuing several other research avenues.”

HBM's discovery operations, based in Rotterdam, include two patented transgenic mouse platforms (Harbour Mice®) for generating both fully human monoclonal antibodies and heavy chain only antibodies. The company develops novel therapeutics for immuno-oncology and inflammatory diseases in its Suzhou lab, and it has business operations in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

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Disclosure: none.