Consortium for Immunotherapeutics against Emerging Viral Threats

ABSTRACT We recently galvanized the Coronavirus Immunotherapeutic Consortium, CoVIC, an international effort to conduct side-by-side analyses of leading therapeutic antibody candidates against the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein contributed by a range of large and small companies and academic labs on multiple continents. CoVIC provides an opportunity for side-by-side analysis of the leading therapeutic candidates under the same assay conditions, as well as real-time collaborative assembly of a broader, deeper dataset on the activities and potencies of antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 than could be assembled by any single discovery effort alone. The currently funded CoVIC studies focus largely on characteristics of the Fab region of the IgG therapeutic: binding and mechanical neutralization, and analyze only spike from the original Wuhan reference strain of SARS-CoV- 2. The proposed supplement will provide support for critical components that are currently missing from CoVIC but which are needed to accelerate clinical advancement of antibodies that will be safe, efficacious and offer durable protection. We will determine Fc-mediated activities of the therapeutic antibodies, the likelihood or risk of enhancement from clinical candidates, and which epitopes and sites of and susceptibility to mutagenic escape. The resulting body of information will inform early and next-generation antibody therapies and will ensure that therapeutics are known which are responsive to emerging viral variants.