Potent Neutralizing Activity of Polyclonal Equine Antibodies Against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variants of Concern

Several anti-severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have received emergency authorization for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. However, most of these mAbs are not active against the highly mutated Omicron SARS-CoV-2 subvariants. We have tested a polyclonal approach of equine anti-SARS-CoV-2 F(ab’)2 antibodies that achieved a high level of neutralizing potency against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern tested including Omicron BA.1, BA.2, BA.2.12 and BA.4/5. A repertoire of antibodies targeting conserved epitopes in different regions of the spike protein could plausibly account for this remarkable breadth of neutralization. These results warrant the clinical investigation of equine polyclonal F(ab’)2 antibodies as a novel therapeutic strategy against COVID-19.

Keywords: COVID-19; Omicron; SARS-CoV-2; neutralizing antibodies; variants of concern.

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Infectious Diseases Society of America.

The Journal of Infectious Diseases, Volume 227, Issue 1, 1 January 2023, Pages 35–39