Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) poses a public health threat for which preventive and therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Neutralizing antibodies are a key class of therapeutics which may bridge widespread vaccination campaigns and offer a treatment solution in populations less responsive to vaccination. Herein, we report that high-throughput microfluidic screening of antigen-specific B-cells led to the identification of LY-CoV555 (also known as bamlanivimab), a potent anti-spike neutralizing antibody from a hospitalized, convalescent patient with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Biochemical, structural, and functional characterization of LY-CoV555 revealed high-affinity binding to the receptor-binding domain, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 binding inhibition, and potent neutralizing activity. A pharmacokinetic study of LY-CoV555 conducted in cynomolgus monkeys demonstrated a mean half-life of 13 days, and clearance of 0.22 mL/hr/kg, consistent with a typical human therapeutic antibody. In a rhesus macaque challenge model, prophylactic doses as low as 2.5 mg/kg reduced viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract in samples collected through study Day 6 following viral inoculation. This antibody has entered clinical testing and is being evaluated across a spectrum of COVID-19 indications, including prevention and treatment.

SARS-CoV-2 poses a public health threat for which therapeutic agents are urgently needed. Herein, we report that high-throughput microfluidic screening of antigen-specific B-cells led to the identification of LY-CoV555, a potent anti-spike neutralizing antibody from a convalescent COVID-19 patient. Biochemical, structural, and functional characterization revealed high-affinity binding to the receptor-binding domain, ACE2 binding inhibition, and potent neutralizing activity. In a rhesus macaque challenge model, prophylaxis doses as low as 2.5 mg/kg reduced viral replication in the upper and lower respiratory tract. These data demonstrate that high-throughput screening can lead to the identification of a potent antiviral antibody that protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection.

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The alignment of elastin molecules in the mature elastic fiber was investigated by purifying and sequencing cross-link-containing peptides generated by proteolytic digestion incompletely cross-linked insoluble elastin. Peptides of interest were purified by reverse phase and size exclusion high performance liquid chromatography and characterized by amino acid analysis and protein sequencing. One peptide, consisting of the cross-linking domain encoded by exon 10, contained a modified lysine residue that had not condensed to form a polyfunctional cross-link. Although this domain contains the characteristic paired lysine residues found in other cross-linking domains of elastin, protein sequence analysis indicated that the first but not the second lysine had been oxidized by lysyl oxidase. This finding suggests that lysine residues in an individual cross-linking domain may not have equal susceptibility to oxidation by lysyl oxidase. In a second peptide, we found that a major cross-linking site in elastin is formed through the association of sequences encoded by exons 10, 19, and 25 and that the three chains are joined together by one desmosine and two lysinonorleucine cross-links. Past structural studies and computer modeling predict that domains 19 and 25 are linked by a desmosine cross-link, while domain 10 bridges domains 19 and 25 through lysinonorleucine cross-links. These findings, together with the high degree of sequence conservation for these three domains, suggest an important function for these regions of the molecule, possibly nucleating the aggregation and polymerization of tropoelastin monomers in the developing elastic fiber.

Purpose: MET, the receptor for hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), has been implicated in driving tumor proliferation and metastasis. High MET expression is correlated with poor prognosis in multiple cancers. Activation of MET can be induced either by HGF-independent mechanisms such as gene amplification, specific genetic mutations, and transcriptional upregulation or by HGF-dependent autocrine or paracrine mechanisms.Experimental Design/Results: Here, we report on LY2875358, a novel humanized bivalent anti-MET antibody that has high neutralization and internalization activities, resulting in inhibition of both HGFdependent and HGF-independent MET pathway activation and tumor growth. In contrast to other bivalent MET antibodies, LY2875358 exhibits no functional agonist activity and does not stimulate biologic activities such as cell proliferation, scattering, invasion, tubulogenesis, or apoptosis protection in various HGFresponsive cells and no evidence of inducing proliferation in vivo in a monkey toxicity study. LY2875358 blocks HGF binding to MET and HGF-induced MET phosphorylation and cell proliferation. In contrast to the humanized one-armed 5D5 anti-MET antibody, LY2875358 induces internalization and degradation of MET that inhibits cell proliferation and tumor growth in models where MET is constitutively activated. Moreover, LY2875358 has potent antitumor activity in both HGF-dependent and HGF-independent (METamplified) xenograft tumor models. Together, these findings indicate that the mechanism of action of LY2875358 is different from that of the one-armed MET antibody.Conclusions: LY2875358 may provide a promising therapeutic strategy for patients whose tumors are driven by both HGF-dependent and HGF-independent MET activation. LY2875358 is currently being investigated in multiple clinical studies. Clin Cancer Res; 20(23); 6059-70. Ó2014 AACR.