Scientists at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine, partners at Stanford, Masaryk and Zurich University, Pasteur Institute in Novi Sad and physicians in Serbia, report in Immunity that monoclonal antibodies from convalescents protect against West Nile and related orthoflaviviruses, supporting future prophylactic and therapeutic strategies.
West Nile virus (WNV) is transmitted by mosquitoes and is increasingly relevant for Europe and worldwide. It can cause severe brain infection and death, yet there is no specific antiviral treatment or approved human vaccine. A collaborative study published in Immunity analyzed blood from WNV convalescents in Serbia to understand antibody immune responses and identify protective human monoclonal antibodies with potential to prevent or treat WNV and related orthoflavivirus infections.
Davide Robbiani’s Laboratory at the Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB, affiliated with Università della Svizzera italiana) in Bellinzona, Switzerland, together with international collaborators, identified monoclonal antibodies that may help address this unmet medical need.
Among them, antibody W010 recognizes a distinct site on the virus envelope domain III, a key surface protein involved in viral attachment and infection. W010 protected mice when administered before and even 5 days after exposure to WNV. A second antibody, W014, showed broader cross-neutralization against pathogenic orthoflaviviruses, including Japanese encephalitis, Murray Valley encephalitis, Saint Louis encephalitis and Usutu viruses.
The findings define vulnerable sites on WNV that could inform vaccine development, and highlight antibody candidates with prophylactic and therapeutic potential. They may also guide interventions for a wider group of encephalitic orthoflavivirus infections.
Tomás Cervantes Rincón1,28 ∙ Tereza Frckova2,3,28 ∙ Zaria I. Contejean4,28 ∙ Jasmine Cantergiani1 ∙ Kevin Groen5 ∙ Benedetta Cena1 ∙ Simone G. Moro1 ∙ Filippo Bianchini1 ∙ Luca Simonelli1 ∙ David Jarrossay1 ∙ Silvia Tosolini1 ∙ Roger Kuratli5 ∙ Anna R.E. Robinson4 ∙ Monika Cizkova6,7 ∙ Emily G. Niejadlik8 ∙ Jacques Moritz1 ∙ Roshan Thakur1 ∙ Zuzana Krátka3 ∙ Dragana Mijatović9,10 ∙ Jasmina Grujić9,11,12 ∙ Jiri Holoubek2,3,6 ∙ Zorana Budakov-Obradović11,12 ∙ Jiri Salat2,3,6 ∙ Václav Hönig3,6 ∙ Marija Vraneš13,14 ∙ Zvezdana Lojpur15 ∙ Dajana Lendak12,15 ∙ Siniša Sević12,15 ∙ Monika Bajči12,15 ∙ Lidija Popović-Dragonjić16,17,18 ∙ Biljana Popovska Jovičić18,19,20 ∙ Jagoda Gavrilović19,20 ∙ Tania Kapoor21 ∙ Margaret R. MacDonald22 ∙ Stylianos Bournazos8 ∙ Luca Varani1 ∙ Martin Palus2,3,6 ∙ Benjamin G. Hale5 ∙ Pavle Banović9,23,24,29 ∙ Daniel Ruzek2,3,6,29 ∙ Christopher O. Barnes4,25,26,27,29 ∙ Davide F. Robbiani1,29,30
