Description:

Title: Human monoclonal antibodies targeting A35 protect from death against mpox

Topic: The surge of mpox in non-endemic areas, along with the emergence of novel mpox (MPXV) strains in Africa, highlights an urgent need for effective therapeutics. We and others showed that A35, a critical protein for MPXV spread in human cells, is a prime target for neutralizing antibodies, but no human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) targeting A35 have been characterized. Here, we isolated three human mAbs, EV35-2, -6, and -7, from an adult recovering from mpox. These antibodies exhibit high-affinity binding to A35 of MPXV clades Ib and IIb and the ortholog in Vaccinia virus (VACV), and effectively block viral spread in vitro. All mAbs conferred protection from death in a lethal VACV challenge, with EV35-6 and EV35-7 protecting in an MPXV model. These findings identify MPXV A35 as a key antigenic target and A35 mAbs as promising next-generation therapeutic candidates against mpox and other Orthopoxviruses.

Speaker: Camila Coelho, PhD

Host: Pablo Penaloza-MacMaster, PhD, Associate Professor, Dept. of Microbiology-Immunology