Giuseppe
Emeritus
Monoclonal antibody produced in plants efficiently treats West Nile virus infection in mice (Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, abstract, edited)
Monoclonal antibody produced in plants efficiently treats West Nile virus infection in mice
1. Huafang Lai a, 2. Michael Engle b, 3. Anja Fuchs b, 4. Thomas Keller a, 5. Syd Johnson c, 6. Sergey Gorlatov c, 7. Michael S. Diamond b,d,e,2, and 8. Qiang Chen a,1
Author Affiliations
1. aThe Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287;
2. Departments of bMedicine,
3. dMolecular Microbiology, and
4. ePathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; and
5. cMacroGenics, Inc., Rockville, MD 20850
1. Communicated by Charles J. Arntzen, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, December 17, 2009 (received for review November 16, 2009)
Abstract
Over the past decade, West Nile virus (WNV) has spread to all 48 of the lower United States as well as to parts of Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America, with outbreaks of neuroinvasive disease occurring annually. At present, no therapeutic or vaccine is available for human use. Epidemics of WNV and other emerging infectious disease threats demand cost-efficient and scalable production technologies that can rapidly transfer effective therapeutics into the clinical setting. We have previously reported that Hu-E16, a humanized anti-WNV mAb, binds to a highly conserved epitope on the envelope protein, blocks viral fusion, and shows promising postexposure therapeutic activity. Herein, we generated a plant-derived Hu-E16 mAb that can be rapidly scaled up for commercial production. Plant Hu-E16 was expressed at high levels within 8 days of infiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and retained high-affinity binding and potent neutralizing activity in vitro against WNV. A single dose of plant Hu-E16 protected mice against WNV-induced mortality even 4 days after infection at rates that were indistinguishable from mammalian-cell-produced Hu-E16. This study demonstrates the efficacy of a plant-produced mAb against a potentially lethal infection several days after exposure in an animal challenge model and provides a proof of principle for the development of plant-derived mAbs as therapy against emerging infectious diseases.
* flavivirus
* mAb therapeutics
* plant-made pharmaceuticals
Footnotes
* 1To whom correspondence may be addressed at: Arizona State University, Mail Zone 5401, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287. E-mail: qiang.chen.4@asu.edu.
* 2To whom correspondence may be addressed at: Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8051, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. E-mail: diamond@borcim.wustl.edu.
* Author contributions: H.L., S.J., M.S.D., and Q.C. designed research; H.L., M.E., A.F., T.K., S.G., and Q.C. performed research; H.L., M.E., A.F., M.S.D., and Q.C. analyzed data; and M.S.D. and Q.C. wrote the paper.
* Conflict of interest statement: M.S.D has consulting agreements with MacroGenics, a company that has licensed the Hu-E16 mAb from Washington University for possible commercial development. S.J. and S.G. are employees of MacroGenics.
* This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0914503107/DCSupplemental.
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<cite cite="http://www.pnas.org/content/107/6/2419.short?rss=1">Monoclonal antibody produced in plants efficiently treats West Nile virus infection in mice ? PNAS</cite>1. Huafang Lai a, 2. Michael Engle b, 3. Anja Fuchs b, 4. Thomas Keller a, 5. Syd Johnson c, 6. Sergey Gorlatov c, 7. Michael S. Diamond b,d,e,2, and 8. Qiang Chen a,1
Author Affiliations
1. aThe Biodesign Institute, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287;
2. Departments of bMedicine,
3. dMolecular Microbiology, and
4. ePathology and Immunology, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO 63110; and
5. cMacroGenics, Inc., Rockville, MD 20850
1. Communicated by Charles J. Arntzen, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, December 17, 2009 (received for review November 16, 2009)
Abstract
Over the past decade, West Nile virus (WNV) has spread to all 48 of the lower United States as well as to parts of Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and South America, with outbreaks of neuroinvasive disease occurring annually. At present, no therapeutic or vaccine is available for human use. Epidemics of WNV and other emerging infectious disease threats demand cost-efficient and scalable production technologies that can rapidly transfer effective therapeutics into the clinical setting. We have previously reported that Hu-E16, a humanized anti-WNV mAb, binds to a highly conserved epitope on the envelope protein, blocks viral fusion, and shows promising postexposure therapeutic activity. Herein, we generated a plant-derived Hu-E16 mAb that can be rapidly scaled up for commercial production. Plant Hu-E16 was expressed at high levels within 8 days of infiltration in Nicotiana benthamiana plants and retained high-affinity binding and potent neutralizing activity in vitro against WNV. A single dose of plant Hu-E16 protected mice against WNV-induced mortality even 4 days after infection at rates that were indistinguishable from mammalian-cell-produced Hu-E16. This study demonstrates the efficacy of a plant-produced mAb against a potentially lethal infection several days after exposure in an animal challenge model and provides a proof of principle for the development of plant-derived mAbs as therapy against emerging infectious diseases.
* flavivirus
* mAb therapeutics
* plant-made pharmaceuticals
Footnotes
* 1To whom correspondence may be addressed at: Arizona State University, Mail Zone 5401, 1001 S. McAllister Avenue, Tempe, AZ 85287. E-mail: qiang.chen.4@asu.edu.
* 2To whom correspondence may be addressed at: Washington University School of Medicine, Campus Box 8051, 660 S. Euclid Avenue, St. Louis, MO 63110. E-mail: diamond@borcim.wustl.edu.
* Author contributions: H.L., S.J., M.S.D., and Q.C. designed research; H.L., M.E., A.F., T.K., S.G., and Q.C. performed research; H.L., M.E., A.F., M.S.D., and Q.C. analyzed data; and M.S.D. and Q.C. wrote the paper.
* Conflict of interest statement: M.S.D has consulting agreements with MacroGenics, a company that has licensed the Hu-E16 mAb from Washington University for possible commercial development. S.J. and S.G. are employees of MacroGenics.
* This article contains supporting information online at www.pnas.org/cgi/content/full/0914503107/DCSupplemental.
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