Broadly neutralizing antibody against SARS-CoV-2 variants and related sarbecoviruses

This technology is a broadly neutralizing antibody against all tested SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and related sarbecoviruses for therapeutic neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 in infected patients.

Unmet Need: Effective treatment for neutralization of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants

Though effective for the general public, current prophylactic vaccination methods for respiratory viruses, such as SARS-CoV-2, fail to provoke a durable antiviral immune response in patients who are immunocompromised. Therefore, these patients rely on the efficacy of antibody therapeutics to achieve robust neutralization and clearance of virus. However, variants of SARS-CoV-2 arise that can be resistant to existing antibody therapies, leaving minimal options for immunocompromised patients. Therefore, there is a need for antibody treatments that have wide inhibitory activity and can be easily modified to target novel strains.

The Technology: Therapeutic antibody treatment for neutralization of evolving SARS-CoV-2 variants and related sarbecoviruses

This technology is an engineered antibody that has broadly neutralizing potential against SARS-CoV-2 variants and several related sarbecoviruses. This technology isolates an antibody targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein that effectively neutralizes all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and is further optimized to enhance its neutralizing potency and breadth. It also demonstrated promising neutralizing activity against SARS-CoV-2-like sarbecoviruses and clade 2 sarbecoviruses. As such, this therapeutic antibody could be utilized to decrease the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection in patients and can potentially be used to treat future outbreaks caused by emerging variants and related sarbecoviruses.

Applications:

• Treatment for SARS-CoV-2 infection
• Therapeutic tool for immunocompromised patients infected with SARS-CoV-2
• Prophylactic for preventing SARS-CoV-2 and sarbecovirus infection
• Combination treatment with another therapeutic or prophylactic
• Assay for studying viral resistance mechanisms
• Research tool for optimizing neutralizing antibodies
• Research tool to study the immune response to sarbecoviruses and SARS-CoV-2

Advantages:

• Adapted to neutralize all tested variants of SARS-CoV-2 and related sarbecoviruses
• Reduces SARS-CoV-2 disease severity
• Readily engineerable in bulk
• Cost-effective and relatively simple to produce
• Easy administration to patients in hospital settings

Lead Inventor:

David D. Ho, MD

Patent Information:

Patent Pending (WO/2025/151836)

Related Publications:

• Wang Q, Guo Y, Casner RG, Yu J, Nair MS, Ho J, Reddem ER, Mellis IA, Wu M, Tzang CC, Hong H, Huang Y, Shapiro L, Liu L, Ho DD. “Optimizing a human monoclonal antibody for better neutralization of SARS-CoV-2.” Nat Commun. 2025 Jul 4;16(1):6195.

• Liu L, Casner RG, Guo Y, Wang Q, Iketani S, Chan JF, Yu J, Dadonaite B, Nair MS, Mohri H, Reddem ER, Yuan S, Poon VK, Chan CC, Yuen KY, Sheng Z, Huang Y, Bloom JD, Shapiro L, Ho DD. “Antibodies targeting a quaternary site on SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein prevent viral receptor engagement by conformational locking.” Immunity. 2023 Oct 10; 56(10): 2442-2455.e8.

Tech Ventures Reference:

• IR CU24218

• Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman