Human monoclonal antibodies targeting subdominant meningococcal antigens confer cross-protection against gonococcus.

Gonococcus, a bacterium resistant to most antibiotics, causes more than 80 million cases of gonorrhea annually and is considered a high-priority pathogen by the World Health Organization. Recently, vaccine development prospects were boosted by reports that licensed meningococcus serogroup B (MenB) vaccines provided partial protection against gonococcal infection. To determine antigens responsible for cross-protection, memory B cells isolated from 4CMenB-vaccinated volunteers were single cell-sorted to identify antibodies that kill gonococcus in a bactericidal assay.

SARS-CoV-2 JN.1 variant evasion of IGHV3-53/3-66 B cell germlines.

The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 variant JN.1 recently emerged as the dominant variant despite having only one amino acid change on the spike (S) protein receptor binding domain (RBD) compared with the ancestral BA.2.

High-throughput bactericidal assays for monoclonal antibody screening against antimicrobial resistant .

(gonococcus) is an obligate human pathogen and the etiological agent of the sexually transmitted disease gonorrhea. The rapid rise in gonococcal resistance to all currently available antimicrobials has become a significant public health burden and the need to develop novel therapeutic and prophylactic tools is now a global priority. While high-throughput screening methods allowed rapid discovery of extremely potent monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against viral pathogens, the field of bacteriology suffers from the lack of assays that allow efficient screening of large panels of samples.

A new dawn for monoclonal antibodies against antimicrobial resistant bacteria.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a quickly advancing threat for human health worldwide and almost 5 million deaths are already attributable to this phenomenon every year. Since antibiotics are failing to treat AMR-bacteria, new tools are needed, and human monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) can fill this role. In almost 50 years since the introduction of the first technology that led to mAb discovery, enormous leaps forward have been made to identify and develop extremely potent human mAbs.

Extremely potent human monoclonal antibodies from COVID-19 convalescent patients.

Human monoclonal antibodies are safe, preventive, and therapeutic tools that can be rapidly developed to help restore the massive health and economic disruption caused by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. By single-cell sorting 4,277 SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-specific memory B cells from 14 COVID-19 survivors, 453 neutralizing antibodies were identified. The most potent neutralizing antibodies recognized the spike protein receptor-binding domain, followed in potency by antibodies that recognize the S1 domain, the spike protein trimer, and the S2 subunit.

Vaccines as remedy for antimicrobial resistance and emerging infections.

Life expectancy has grown tremendously. This incredible achievement for mankind has been obtained mostly thanks to three pillars: hygiene, antibiotics and vaccines. They represent one of the most effective forms of medical intervention.