Potent human monoclonal antibodies against SARS CoV, Nipah and Hendra viruses.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Recently, several potently neutralizing fully human monoclonal antibodies (hmAbs) targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome-associated coronavirus (SARS CoV) S glycoprotein, and the G glycoprotein of the paramyxoviruses Hendra virus (HeV) and Nipah virus (NiV) have been discovered [corrected]. OBJECTIVE: To examine, compare and contrast the functional characteristics of hmAbs with the potential for prophylaxis and treatment of diseases caused by SARS CoV, HeV and NiV. METHODS: A review of relevant literature. RESULTS/CONCLUSIONS: Structural, functional and biochemical analyses [corrected] have provided insights into the molecular mechanisms of receptor recognition and antibody neutralization, and suggested that these antibodies alone or in combination could fight the viruses' heterogeneity and mutability, which is a major problem in the development of effective therapeutic agents against viruses, including therapeutic antibodies.