Therapeutic antibodies, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike N-terminal domain, protect lethally infected K18-hACE2 mice

By using a phage display assay using blood samples from severe COVID-19 patients, several mAb clones targeting N-terminal domain (NTD) of SARS-CoV-2 S protein were obtained. These mAbs showed neutralizing potency for SARS-CoV-2 infection in in vitro infection study using Vero E6 cells. Moreover, intraperitoneal injection of these mAbs two day post intranasal inoculation of SARS-CoV-2 in K-18 hACE2 transgenic mice provided a protection against lethal infection.