[HTML][HTML] Rational design of a trispecific antibody targeting the HIV-1 Env with elevated anti-viral activity

JJ Steinhardt, J Guenaga, HL Turner, K McKee… - Nature …, 2018 - nature.com
JJ Steinhardt, J Guenaga, HL Turner, K McKee, MK Louder, S O'Dell, CI Chiang, L Lei
Nature communications, 2018nature.com
HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are being explored as passively administered
therapeutic and preventative agents. However, the extensively diversified HIV-1 envelope
glycoproteins (Env) rapidly acquire mutations to evade individual bNAbs in monotherapy
regimens. The use of a “single” agent to simultaneously target distinct Env epitopes is
desirable to overcome viral diversity. Here, we report the use of tandem single-chain
variable fragment (ScFv) domains of two bNAbs, specific for the CD4-binding site and V3 …
Abstract
HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs) are being explored as passively administered therapeutic and preventative agents. However, the extensively diversified HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Env) rapidly acquire mutations to evade individual bNAbs in monotherapy regimens. The use of a “single” agent to simultaneously target distinct Env epitopes is desirable to overcome viral diversity. Here, we report the use of tandem single-chain variable fragment (ScFv) domains of two bNAbs, specific for the CD4-binding site and V3 glycan patch, to form anti-HIV-1 bispecific ScFvs (Bi-ScFvs). The optimal Bi-ScFv crosslinks adjacent protomers within one HIV-1 Env spike and has greater neutralization breadth than its parental bNAbs. Furthermore, the combination of this Bi-ScFv with a third bNAb recognizing the Env membrane proximal external region (MPER) results in a trispecific bNAb, which has nearly pan-isolate neutralization breadth and high potency. Thus, multispecific antibodies combining functional moieties of bNAbs could achieve outstanding neutralization capacity with augmented avidity.
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