Engineering pan-HIV-1 neutralization potency through multispecific antibody avidity

Deep mining of B cell repertoires of HIV-1-infected individuals has resulted in the isolation of dozens of HIV-1 broadly neutralizing antibodies (bNAbs). Yet, it remains uncertain whether any such bNAbs alone are sufficiently broad and potent to deploy therapeutically. Here, we engineered HIV-1 bNAbs for their combination on a single multispecific and avid molecule via direct genetic fusion of their Fab fragments to the human apoferritin light chain. The resulting molecule demonstrated a remarkable median IC50 value of 0.0009 mu g/mL and 100% neutralization coverage of a broad HIV-1 pseudovirus panel (118 isolates) at a 4 mu g/mL cutoff-a 32-fold enhancement in viral neutralization potency compared to a mixture of the corresponding HIV-1 bNAbs. Importantly, Fc incorporation on the molecule and engineering to modulate Fc receptor binding resulted in IgG-like bioavailability in vivo. This robust plug-and-play antibody design is relevant against indications where multispecificity and avidity are leveraged simultaneously to mediate optimal biological activity.

Automated summary

In this study, HIV-1 bNAbs were engineered by directly fusing their Fab fragments to the human apoferritin light chain, resulting in a multispecific and avid molecule. The molecule exhibited high neutralization potency against a broad panel of HIV-1 pseudoviruses and demonstrated IgG-like bioavailability in vivo through Fc receptor modulation.