Retrained Generic Antibodies Can Recognize SARS-CoV-2

Han, Yanxiao; McReynolds, Katherine D.; Král, Petr

[Image: see text] The dramatic impact novel viruses can have on humans could be more quickly mitigated if generic antibodies already present in one’s system are temporarily retrained to recognize these viruses. This type of intervention can be administered during the early stages of infection, while a specific immune response is being developed. With this idea in mind, double-faced peptide-based boosters were computationally designed to allow recognition of SARS-CoV-2 by Hepatitis B antibodies. One booster face is made of ACE2-mimic peptides that can bind to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. The other booster face is composed of a Hepatitis B core-antigen, targeting the Hepatitis B antibody fragment. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the designed boosters have a highly specific and stable binding to both the RBD and the antibody fragment (AF). This approach can provide a cheap and efficient neutralization of emerging pathogens.