Neutralizing antibodies that bind to the zika virus domain iii envelope region

Abstract

Antibodies to Zika virus (ZIKV) and dengue 1 virus (DENV1) are provided. The amino acid sequences of the antibodies may be modified. Methods for prophylaxis and / or therapy by administering the antibodies and combinations thereof are provided. Immunological detection methods using the antibodies are provided. Also provided are vaccine compositions which comprise peptides derived from ZIKV and DENV1.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS[0001]This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 16 / 603,341, filed Oct. 7, 2019, which is a National Phase of International patent application no. PCT / US2018 / 026676, filed Apr. 9, 2018, which claims priority to U.S. provisional patent application No. 62 / 483,001, filed Apr. 7, 2017, the disclosures of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH[0002]This invention was made with government support under grant no. UM1AI100663 awarded by the National Institutes of Health. The government has certain rights in the invention.SEQUENCE LISTING[0003]The instant application contains a Sequence Listing which has been submitted electronically in ASCII format and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. Said ASCII copy, created on Apr. 6, 2018, is named 076091_00046_SL.txt and is 507,614 bytes in size.BACKGROUND[0004]Zika virus (ZIKV) infection typically produces mi...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

[0009]Antibodies to Zika virus (ZIKV) can be protective. To examine the antibody response in individuals that develop high titers of anti-ZIKV antibodies we screened cohorts in Brazil and Mexico for ZIKV envelope domain III (ZEDIII) binding and neutralization. Sequencing of nearly 300 antibodies showed that donors with high ZIKV neutralizing antibody titers had expanded clones of memory B cells that carried the same immunoglobulin VH3-23 / VK1-5 genes. These recurring antibodies cross-reacted with DENV1, but not other flaviviruses. In particular, a VH3-23 / VK1-5 antibody described in detail below as Z004 neutralized both DENV1 and ZIKV, and protected mice against ZIKV challenge. Structural analyses revealed the mechanism of recognition of the ZEDIII lateral ridge by VH3-23 / VK1-5 antibodies. Serologic testing showed that antibodies to this region correlate with serum neutralizing activity to ZIKV, and that reactivity to dengue 1 virus (DENV1) EDIII before ZIKV exposure was associated with increased ZIKV neutralizing titers after exposure. Thus, high neutralizing responses to ZIKV are associated with pre-existing reactivity to DENV1. Accordingly, mice immunization experiments showed that immunization with the EDIII of DENV1 followed by boosting with ZEDIII resulted in higher neutralizing titers against ZIKV than immunization with either component alone. The disclosure takes advantage of these discoveries to provide novel compositions and methods for approaching ZIKV and DENV1 prophylaxis and / or therapy. Furthermore, the present disclosure demonstrates that a combination of two different antibodies that recognize distinct but overlapping epitopes on the EDIII lateral ridge of ZIKV and DENV1 has unique properties. In particular, the antibody described below as Z021 potently neutralized ZIKV and DENV1 in vitro and prevented disease in mice. In macaques, prophylactic co-administration of Z004 with Z021 was protective and suppressed emergence of ZIKV resistant variants. Thus, the present disclosure demonstrates that a combination of two human monoclonal antibodies that recognize distinct but overlapping epitopes on ZIKV EDIII is sufficient to suppress infection and thwart viral escape in macaques, a natural host for ZIKV. It is considered based on these data that similar effects can be elicited in humans.

[0017]Any antibody described herein can comprise at least one modification of its constant region. The modification is of any one or more amino acids. The modification can have any of a number of desirable effects. In certain approaches, the modification increases in vivo half-life of the antibody, or alters the ability of the antibody to bind to Fc receptors, or alters the ability of the antibody to cross placenta or to cross a blood-brain barrier or to cross a blood-testes barrier, or inhibits aggregation of the antibodies, or a combination of said modifications, or wherein the antibody is attached to a label or a substrate. In embodiments, the modification improves the manufacturability of the antibody. In embodiments, any antibody or combination thereof described herein can be present in an immunological assay, such as an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) assay, or an ELISA assay control. The ELISA assay can be any of a direct ELISA assay, an indirect ELISA assay, a sandwich ELISA assay, or a competition ELISA assay.

[0021]In another approach the disclosure provides a method for prophylaxis or therapy of a viral infection comprising administering to an individual in need thereof an effective amount of at least one vaccine formulation described herein. In certain embodiments, a first vaccination is performed with a polypeptide or a polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide is derived from the DENV1 EDIII protein, and wherein the polypeptide comprises a segment of the lateral ridge of the DENV1 EDIII. This can be followed by performing a second vaccination with a polypeptide or polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide, wherein the polypeptide is derived from the ZIKV EDIII protein, and wherein the polypeptide comprises a segment of the lateral ridge of ZIKV EDIII (ZEDIII). Such vaccination approaches can stimulate production of neutralizing antibodies in the individual that inhibit infectivity of a virus selected from the group of viruses consisting of Zika virus, dengue 1, 2, 3 or 4 viruses (DENV1-4), yellow fever virus (YFV), West Nile virus (WNV), and combinations thereof.

Problems solved by technology

However, when infection occurs during pregnancy, vertical transmission can lead to a spectrum of devastating neurodevelopmental aberrations, collectively referred to as Congenital Zika Syndrome.

However, there is concern that cross-reacting antibodies that fail to neutralize the virus may enhance rather than curb subsequent flavivirus infections (Harrison, 2016; Wahala and Silva, 2011).

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