Antigenic Characterization of Human Monoclonal Antibodies for Therapeutic Use against H7N9 Avian Influenza Virus
Pengxiang Chang, Deimante Lukosaityte, Joshua E. Sealy, Pramila Rijal, Jean-Rémy Sadeyen, Sushant Bhat, Sylvia Crossley, Rebecca Daines, Kuan-Yin A. Huang, Alain Townsend, Munir Iqbal
Abstract
Avian influenza virus (AIV) H7N9 continues to circulate and evolve in birds, posing a credible threat to humans. Antiviral drugs have proven useful for the treatment of severe influenza infections in humans; however, concerns have been raised as antiviral-resistant mutants have emerged. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been studied for both prophylactic and therapeutic applications in infectious disease control and have demonstrated great potential. For example, mAb treatment has significantly reduced the risk of people developing severe disease with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection. In addition to the protection efficiency, we should also consider the potential risk of the escape mutants generated by mAb treatment to public health by assessing their viral fitness and potential to compromise host adaptive immunity. Considering these parameters, we assessed four human mAbs derived from humans naturally infected with H7N9 AIV and showed that the mAb L4A-14 displayed potential as a therapeutic candidate.