# Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing Abs for therapy, prophylaxis and vaccine development.

> **NIH NIH UM1** · SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE · 2020 · $188,714

## Abstract

This application is being submitted in response to NOT-AI-20-030
Coronaviruses (CoVs) are enveloped, positive-sense, single-stranded RNA viruses and
the subfamily consists of only 2 members, Alpha- and Betacoronavirus which infect
mammals and generally result in respiratory illnesses.
In 2019, the World Health Organization was notified of a cluster of pneumonia cases
possibly originating from a seafood market in Wuhan city, Hubei Province, China.
Within three weeks, a total of 198 cases of novel coronavirus-infected pneumonia were
confirmed, and an analysis of 138 cases at the Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University
found a mortality rate of 4.3%. As of February 25, 2020, there were 79,331 confirmed
cases of a clinical syndrome now called COVID-19, as the result of infection by a novel
virus named SARS-CoV-2. The rapid global spread of COVID-19 is possible in part
because there is no clinically approved treatment or vaccine for SARS-CoV-2.
This supplement application will leverage our existing expertise in antibody discovery
and characterization to rapidly identify pan-CoV neutralizing antibodies. Recovered Abs
will function both as lead therapeutics to address the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and
tools for evaluating candidate vaccines, by addressing 3 Specific Aims:
Aim 1: Isolation of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies. Antibodies will be isolated
from plasmablasts (acute infection) and memory B cells (convalescence) of COVID-19
patients.
Aim 2: Characterization of pan-CoV neutralizing antibodies. Isolated mAbs will be
screened for neutralization using a SARS-CoV-2 pseudovirus assay as well as a panel
of Betacoronavirus pseudoviruses to determine the breadth of neutralization across the
Coronavirus subfamily.
Aim 3: Optimization of potency and developability of neutralizing antibodies.
Antibodies in the most promising cocktail will be affinity matured to improve their overall
potency and to remove potential manufacturing liabilities.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10130218
- **Project number:** 3UM1AI144462-01S2
- **Recipient organization:** SCRIPPS RESEARCH INSTITUTE, THE
- **Principal Investigator:** Dennis R. Burton
- **Activity code:** UM1 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $188,714
- **Award type:** 3
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2026-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10130218

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10130218, Discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing Abs for therapy, prophylaxis and vaccine development. (3UM1AI144462-01S2). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10130218. Licensed CC0.

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