AUTHOR=Favorskaya Irina A. , Shcheblyakov Dmitry V. , Esmagambetov Ilias B. , Dolzhikova Inna V. , Alekseeva Irina A. , Korobkova Anastasia I. , Voronina Daria V. , Ryabova Ekaterina I. , Derkaev Artem A. , Kovyrshina Anna V. , Iliukhina Anna A. , Botikov Andrey G. , Voronina Olga L. , Egorova Daria A. , Zubkova Olga V. , Ryzhova Natalia N. , Aksenova Ekaterina I. , Kunda Marina S. , Logunov Denis Y. , Naroditsky Boris S. , Gintsburg Alexandr L. TITLE=Single-Domain Antibodies Efficiently Neutralize SARS-CoV-2 Variants of Concern JOURNAL=Frontiers in Immunology VOLUME=13 YEAR=2022 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/immunology/articles/10.3389/fimmu.2022.822159 DOI=10.3389/fimmu.2022.822159 ISSN=1664-3224 ABSTRACT=

Virus-neutralizing antibodies are one of the few treatment options for COVID-19. The evolution of SARS-CoV-2 virus has led to the emergence of virus variants with reduced sensitivity to some antibody-based therapies. The development of potent antibodies with a broad spectrum of neutralizing activity is urgently needed. Here we isolated a panel of single-domain antibodies that specifically bind to the receptor-binding domain of SARS-CoV-2 S glycoprotein. Three of the selected antibodies exhibiting most robust neutralization potency were used to generate dimeric molecules. We observed that these modifications resulted in up to a 200-fold increase in neutralizing activity. The most potent heterodimeric molecule efficiently neutralized each of SARS-CoV-2 variant of concern, including Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta and Omicron variants. This heterodimeric molecule could be a promising drug candidate for a treatment for COVID-19 caused by virus variants of concern.