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Tamir H, Noy-Porat T, Melamed S, Cherry-Mimran L, Barlev-Gross M, Alcalay R, Yahalom-Ronen Y, Achdout H, Politi B, Erez N, Weiss S, Rosenfeld R, Epstein E, Mazor O, Makdasi E, Paran N, Israely T. Synergistic effect of two human-like monoclonal antibodies confers protection against orthopoxvirus infection. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3265. [PMID: 38627363 PMCID: PMC11021552 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47328-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/19/2024] Open
Abstract
The eradication of smallpox was officially declared by the WHO in 1980, leading to discontinuation of the vaccination campaign against the virus. Consequently, immunity against smallpox and related orthopoxviruses like Monkeypox virus gradually declines, highlighting the need for efficient countermeasures not only for the prevention, but also for the treatment of already exposed individuals. We have recently developed human-like monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from vaccinia virus-immunized non-human primates. Two mAbs, MV33 and EV42, targeting the two infectious forms of the virus, were selected for in vivo evaluation, based on their in vitro neutralization potency. A single dose of either MV33 or EV42 administered three days post-infection (dpi) to BALB/c female mice provides full protection against lethal ectromelia virus challenge. Importantly, a combination of both mAbs confers full protection even when provided five dpi. Whole-body bioimaging and viral load analysis reveal that combination of the two mAbs allows for faster and more efficient clearance of the virus from target organs compared to either MV33 or EV42 separately. The combined mAbs treatment further confers post-exposure protection against the currently circulating Monkeypox virus in Cast/EiJ female mice, highlighting their therapeutic potential against other orthopoxviruses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hadas Tamir
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | | | | | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Hagit Achdout
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Boaz Politi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Noam Erez
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Shay Weiss
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel.
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2
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Drori P, Mouhadeb O, Moya Muñoz GG, Razvag Y, Alcalay R, Klocke P, Cordes T, Zahavy E, Lerner E. Rapid and specific detection of single nanoparticles and viruses in microfluidic laminar flow via confocal fluorescence microscopy. bioRxiv 2024:2023.12.31.573251. [PMID: 38260394 PMCID: PMC10802330 DOI: 10.1101/2023.12.31.573251] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Mainstream virus detection relies on the specific amplification of nucleic acids via polymerase chain reaction, a process that is slow and requires extensive laboratory expertise and equipment. Other modalities, such as antigen-based tests, allow much faster virus detection but have reduced sensitivity. In this study, we report the development of a flow virometer for the specific and rapid detection of single nanoparticles based on confocal microscopy. The combination of laminar flow and multiple dyes enable the detection of correlated fluorescence signals, providing information on nanoparticle volumes and specific chemical composition properties, such as viral envelope proteins. We evaluated and validated the assay using fluorescent beads and viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. Additionally, we demonstrate how hydrodynamic focusing enhances the assay sensitivity for detecting clinically-relevant virus loads. Based on our results, we envision the use of this technology for clinically relevant bio-nanoparticles, supported by the implementation of the assay in a portable and user-friendly setup.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paz Drori
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Odelia Mouhadeb
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Gabriel G Moya Muñoz
- Physical and Synthetic Biology. Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhadernerstr. 2-4, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yair Razvag
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Philipp Klocke
- Physical and Synthetic Biology. Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhadernerstr. 2-4, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Thorben Cordes
- Physical and Synthetic Biology. Faculty of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Großhadernerstr. 2-4, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Eran Zahavy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Eitan Lerner
- Department of Biological Chemistry, The Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Faculty of Mathematics & Science, The Edmond J. Safra Campus, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
- The Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 9190401, Israel
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3
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Noy-Porat T, Tamir H, Alcalay R, Rosenfeld R, Epstein E, Cherry L, Achdout H, Erez N, Politi B, Yahalom-Ronen Y, Weiss S, Melamed S, Israely T, Mazor O, Paran N, Makdasi E. Generation of recombinant mAbs to vaccinia virus displaying high affinity and potent neutralization. Microbiol Spectr 2023; 11:e0159823. [PMID: 37737634 PMCID: PMC10581037 DOI: 10.1128/spectrum.01598-23] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/23/2023] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
Members of the Orthopoxvirus genus can cause severe infections in humans. Global vaccination against smallpox, caused by the variola virus, resulted in the eradication of the disease in 1980. Shortly thereafter, vaccination was discontinued, and as a result, a large proportion of the current population is not protected against orthopoxviruses. The concerns that the variola virus or other engineered forms of poxviruses may re-emerge as bioweapons and the sporadic outbreaks of zoonotic members of the family, such as Mpox, which are becoming more frequent and prevalent, also emphasize the need for an effective treatment against orthopoxviruses. To date, the most effective way to prevent or control an orthopoxvirus outbreak is through vaccination. However, the traditional vaccinia-based vaccine may cause severe side effects. Vaccinia immune globulin was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of vaccine adverse reactions and was also used occasionally for the treatment of severe orthopoxvirus infections. However, this treatment carries many disadvantages and is also in short supply. Thus, a recombinant alternative is highly needed. In this study, two non-human primates were immunized with live vaccinia virus, producing a robust and diverse antibody response. A phage-display library was constructed based on the animal's lymphatic organs, and a panel of neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), recognizing diverse proteins of the vaccinia virus, was selected and characterized. These antibodies recognized both mature virion and enveloped virion forms of the virus and exhibited high affinity and potent in vitro neutralization capabilities. Furthermore, these monoclonal antibodies were able to neutralize Mpox 2018 and 2022 strains, suggesting a potential for cross-species protection. We suggest that a combination of these mAbs has the potential to serve as recombinant therapy both for vaccinia vaccine adverse reactions and for orthopoxvirus infections. IMPORTANCE In this manuscript, we report the isolation and characterization of several recombinant neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) identified by screening a phage-display library constructed from lymphatic cells collected from immunized non-human primates. The antibodies target several different antigens of the vaccinia virus, covering both mature virion and extracellular enveloped virion forms of the virus. We document strong evidence indicating that they exhibit excellent affinity to their respective antigens and, most importantly, optimal in vitro neutralization of the virus, which exceeded that of vaccinia immune globulin. Furthermore, we present the ability of these novel isolated mAbs (as well as the sera collected from vaccinia-immunized animals) to neutralize two Mpox strains from the 2018 to 2022 outbreaks. We believe that these antibodies have the potential to be used for the treatment of vaccinia vaccine adverse reactions, for other orthopoxvirus infections, and in cases of unexpected bioterror scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Hadas Tamir
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Lilach Cherry
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Hagit Achdout
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Noam Erez
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Boaz Politi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Shay Weiss
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
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Chatila ZK, Yadav A, Mares J, Flowers X, Yun TD, Rashid M, Talcoff R, Pelly Z, Zhang Y, De Jager PL, Teich A, Costa R, Gomez EA, Martins G, Alcalay R, Vonsattel JP, Menon V, Bradshaw EM, Przedborski S. RNA- and ATAC-sequencing Reveals a Unique CD83+ Microglial Population Focally Depleted in Parkinson's Disease. bioRxiv 2023:2023.05.17.540842. [PMID: 37292857 PMCID: PMC10245789 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.17.540842] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
All brain areas affected in Parkinson's disease (PD) show an abundance of microglia with an activated morphology together with increased expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that neuroinflammation may contribute to the neurodegenerative process in this common and incurable disorder. We applied a single nucleus RNA- and ATAC-sequencing approach using the 10x Genomics Chromium platform to postmortem PD samples to investigate microglial heterogeneity in PD. We created a multiomic dataset using substantia nigra (SN) tissues from 19 PD donors and 14 non-PD controls (NPCs), as well as three other brain regions from the PD donors which are differentially affected in this disease: the ventral tegmental area (VTA), substantia inominata (SI), and hypothalamus (HypoTs). We identified thirteen microglial subpopulations within these tissues as well as a perivascular macrophage and a monocyte population, of which we characterized the transcriptional and chromatin repertoires. Using this data, we investigated whether these microglial subpopulations have any association with PD and whether they have regional specificity. We uncovered several changes in microglial subpopulations in PD, which appear to parallel the magnitude of neurodegeneration across these four selected brain regions. Specifically, we identified that inflammatory microglia in PD are more prevalent in the SN and differentially express PD-associated markers. Our analysis revealed the depletion of a CD83 and HIF1A- expressing microglial subpopulation, specifically in the SN in PD, that has a unique chromatin signature compared to other microglial subpopulations. Interestingly, this microglial subpopulation has regional specificity to the brainstem in non-disease tissues. Furthermore, it is highly enriched for transcripts of proteins involved in antigen presentation and heat-shock proteins, and its depletion in the PD SN may have implications for neuronal vulnerability in disease.
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Sapoznikov A, Gal Y, Alcalay R, Evgy Y, Sabo T, Kronman C, Falach R. Characterization of Lung Injury following Abrin Pulmonary Intoxication in Mice: Comparison to Ricin Poisoning. Toxins (Basel) 2022; 14:toxins14090614. [PMID: 36136552 PMCID: PMC9504197 DOI: 10.3390/toxins14090614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/10/2022] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Abrin is a highly toxic protein obtained from the seeds of the rosary pea plant Abrus precatorius, and it is closely related to ricin in terms of its structure and chemical properties. Both toxins inhibit ribosomal function, halt protein synthesis and lead to cellular death. The major clinical manifestations following pulmonary exposure to these toxins consist of severe lung inflammation and consequent respiratory insufficiency. Despite the high similarity between abrin and ricin in terms of disease progression, the ability to protect mice against these toxins by postexposure antibody-mediated treatment differs significantly, with a markedly higher level of protection achieved against abrin intoxication. In this study, we conducted an in-depth comparison between the kinetics of in vivo abrin and ricin intoxication in a murine model. The data demonstrated differential binding of abrin and ricin to the parenchymal cells of the lungs. Accordingly, toxin-mediated injury to the nonhematopoietic compartment was shown to be markedly lower in the case of abrin intoxication. Thus, profiling of alveolar epithelial cells demonstrated that although toxin-induced damage was restricted to alveolar epithelial type II cells following abrin intoxication, as previously reported for ricin, it was less pronounced. Furthermore, unlike following ricin intoxication, no direct damage was detected in the lung endothelial cell population following abrin exposure. Reduced impairment of intercellular junction molecules following abrin intoxication was detected as well. In contrast, similar damage to the endothelial surface glycocalyx layer was observed for the two toxins. We assume that the reduced damage to the lung stroma, which maintains a higher level of tissue integrity following pulmonary exposure to abrin compared to ricin, contributes to the high efficiency of the anti-abrin antibody treatment at late time points after exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anita Sapoznikov
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (R.F.); Tel.: +972-89381847 (A.S.); +972-89381522 (R.F.)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Reut Falach
- Correspondence: (A.S.); (R.F.); Tel.: +972-89381847 (A.S.); +972-89381522 (R.F.)
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6
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Rosenfeld R, Alcalay R, Zvi A, Ben-David A, Noy-Porat T, Chitlaru T, Epstein E, Israeli O, Lazar S, Caspi N, Barnea A, Dor E, Chomsky I, Pitel S, Makdasi E, Zichel R, Mazor O. Centaur antibodies: Engineered chimeric equine-human recombinant antibodies. Front Immunol 2022; 13:942317. [PMID: 36059507 PMCID: PMC9437483 DOI: 10.3389/fimmu.2022.942317] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Hyper-immune antisera from large mammals, in particular horses, are routinely used for life-saving anti-intoxication intervention. While highly efficient, the use of these immunotherapeutics is complicated by possible recipient reactogenicity and limited availability. Accordingly, there is an urgent need for alternative improved next-generation immunotherapies to respond to this issue of high public health priority. Here, we document the development of previously unavailable tools for equine antibody engineering. A novel primer set, EquPD v2020, based on equine V-gene data, was designed for efficient and accurate amplification of rearranged horse antibody V-segments. The primer set served for generation of immune phage display libraries, representing highly diverse V-gene repertoires of horses immunized against botulinum A or B neurotoxins. Highly specific scFv clones were selected and expressed as full-length antibodies, carrying equine V-genes and human Gamma1/Lambda constant genes, to be referred as “Centaur antibodies”. Preliminary assessment in a murine model of botulism established their therapeutic potential. The experimental approach detailed in the current report, represents a valuable tool for isolation and engineering of therapeutic equine antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
- *Correspondence: Ronit Rosenfeld, ; Ohad Mazor,
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Anat Zvi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Alon Ben-David
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Theodor Chitlaru
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ofir Israeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Shirley Lazar
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Noa Caspi
- Veterinary Center for Preclinical Research, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ada Barnea
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Dor
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Inbar Chomsky
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Shani Pitel
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ran Zichel
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona, Israel
- *Correspondence: Ronit Rosenfeld, ; Ohad Mazor,
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Abstract
This protocol describes the use of a biolayer interferometry platform for assessing antibody-antigen interactions. The protocol focuses on affinity determination and epitope binning, although the system can be utilized for measuring any protein-protein interaction. Readings are collected in real time, allowing the use of unlabeled molecules, and data can thus be obtained in a fast and easy manner. Experiments should be carefully designed, taking into consideration the tested interaction, available sensors, and suitable controls. For complete details on the use and execution of this protocol, please refer to Noy-Porat et al. (2021).
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Eldar Peretz
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
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8
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Noy-Porat T, Edri A, Alcalay R, Makdasi E, Gur D, Aftalion M, Evgy Y, Beth-Din A, Levy Y, Epstein E, Radinsky O, Zauberman A, Lazar S, Yitzhaki S, Marcus H, Porgador A, Rosenfeld R, Mazor O. Fc-Independent Protection from SARS-CoV-2 Infection by Recombinant Human Monoclonal Antibodies. Antibodies (Basel) 2021; 10:antib10040045. [PMID: 34842604 PMCID: PMC8628512 DOI: 10.3390/antib10040045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Revised: 10/25/2021] [Accepted: 11/02/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The use of passively-administered neutralizing antibodies is a promising approach for the prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Antibody-mediated protection may involve immune system recruitment through Fc-dependent activation of effector cells and the complement system. However, the role of Fc-mediated functions in the efficacious in-vivo neutralization of SARS-CoV-2 is not yet clear, and it is of high importance to delineate the role this process plays in antibody-mediated protection. Toward this aim, we have chosen two highly potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing human monoclonal antibodies, MD65 and BLN1 that target distinct domains of the spike (RBD and NTD, respectively). The Fc of these antibodies was engineered to include the triple mutation N297G/S298G/T299A that eliminates glycosylation and the binding to FcγR and to the complement system activator C1q. As expected, the virus neutralization activity (in-vitro) of the engineered antibodies was retained. To study the role of Fc-mediated functions, the protective activity of these antibodies was tested against lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice, when treatment was initiated either before or two days post-exposure. Antibody treatment with both Fc-variants similarly rescued the mice from death reduced viral load and prevented signs of morbidity. Taken together, this work provides important insight regarding the contribution of Fc-effector functions in MD65 and BLN1 antibody-mediated protection, which should aid in the future design of effective antibody-based therapies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Avishay Edri
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (A.E.); (O.R.); (A.P.)
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - David Gur
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Yentl Evgy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Adi Beth-Din
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Yinon Levy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Olga Radinsky
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (A.E.); (O.R.); (A.P.)
| | - Ayelet Zauberman
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Shirley Lazar
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Shmuel Yitzhaki
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Hadar Marcus
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
| | - Angel Porgador
- The Shraga Segal Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Genetics, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel; (A.E.); (O.R.); (A.P.)
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.R.); (O.M.)
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7404800, Israel; (T.N.-P.); (R.A.); (E.M.); (D.G.); (M.A.); (Y.E.); (A.B.-D.); (Y.L.); (E.E.); (A.Z.); (S.L.); (S.Y.); (H.M.)
- Correspondence: (R.R.); (O.M.)
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9
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Makdasi E, Zvi A, Alcalay R, Noy-Porat T, Peretz E, Mechaly A, Levy Y, Epstein E, Chitlaru T, Tennenhouse A, Aftalion M, Gur D, Paran N, Tamir H, Zimhony O, Weiss S, Mandelboim M, Mendelson E, Zuckerman N, Nemet I, Kliker L, Yitzhaki S, Shapira SC, Israely T, Fleishman SJ, Mazor O, Rosenfeld R. The neutralization potency of anti-SARS-CoV-2 therapeutic human monoclonal antibodies is retained against viral variants. Cell Rep 2021; 36:109679. [PMID: 34464610 PMCID: PMC8379094 DOI: 10.1016/j.celrep.2021.109679] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 08/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
A wide range of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) have been reported, most of which target the spike glycoprotein. Therapeutic implementation of these antibodies has been challenged by emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants harboring mutated spike versions. Consequently, re-assessment of previously identified mAbs is of high priority. Four previously selected mAbs targeting non-overlapping epitopes are now evaluated for binding potency to mutated RBD versions, reported to mediate escape from antibody neutralization. In vitro neutralization potencies of these mAbs, and two NTD-specific mAbs, are evaluated against two frequent SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern, the B.1.1.7 Alpha and the B.1.351 Beta. Furthermore, we demonstrate therapeutic potential of three selected mAbs by treatment of K18-human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (hACE2) transgenic mice 2 days post-infection with each virus variant. Thus, despite the accumulation of spike mutations, the highly potent MD65 and BL6 mAbs retain their ability to bind the prevalent viral mutants, effectively protecting against B.1.1.7 and B.1.351 variants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Anat Zvi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Eldar Peretz
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Yinon Levy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Theodor Chitlaru
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Ariel Tennenhouse
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7600001, Israel
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - David Gur
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Hadas Tamir
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Oren Zimhony
- Infectious Diseases Unit, Kaplan Medical Center, Rehovot, Israel, affiliated to the School of Medicine, Hebrew University and Hadassah, Jerusalem, Israel
| | - Shay Weiss
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Michal Mandelboim
- The Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Ella Mendelson
- The Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel; Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Neta Zuckerman
- The Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Ital Nemet
- The Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Limor Kliker
- The Central Virology Laboratory, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel Hashomer, Ramat Gan, Israel
| | - Shmuel Yitzhaki
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Shmuel C Shapira
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel
| | - Sarel J Fleishman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 7600001, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel.
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 7410001, Israel.
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10
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Hoelzgen F, Zalk R, Alcalay R, Cohen-Schwartz S, Garau G, Shahar A, Mazor O, Frank GA. Neutralization of the anthrax toxin by antibody-mediated stapling of its membrane-penetrating loop. Acta Crystallogr D Struct Biol 2021; 77:1197-1205. [PMID: 34473089 DOI: 10.1107/s2059798321007816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 07/30/2021] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Anthrax infection is associated with severe illness and high mortality. Protective antigen (PA) is the central component of the anthrax toxin, which is one of two major virulence factors of Bacillus anthracis, the causative agent of anthrax disease. Upon endocytosis, PA opens a pore in the membranes of endosomes, through which the cytotoxic enzymes of the toxin are extruded. The PA pore is formed by a cooperative conformational change in which the membrane-penetrating loops of PA associate, forming a hydrophobic rim that pierces the membrane. Due to its crucial role in anthrax progression, PA is an important target for monoclonal antibody-based therapy. cAb29 is a highly effective neutralizing antibody against PA. Here, the cryo-EM structure of PA in complex with the Fab portion of cAb29 was determined. It was found that cAb29 neutralizes the toxin by clamping the membrane-penetrating loop of PA to the static surface-exposed loop of the D3 domain of the same subunit, thereby preventing pore formation. These results provide the structural basis for the antibody-based neutralization of PA and bring into focus the membrane-penetrating loop of PA as a target for the development of better anti-anthrax vaccines.
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Affiliation(s)
- F Hoelzgen
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - R Zalk
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - R Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - S Cohen-Schwartz
- The National Institute for Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - G Garau
- Biostructures Lab, IIT@NEST - Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, Piazza San Silvestro 12, 56124 Pisa, Italy
| | - A Shahar
- Ilse Katz Institute for Nanoscale Science and Technology, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
| | - O Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - G A Frank
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva 8410501, Israel
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11
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Barlev-Gross M, Weiss S, Paran N, Yahalom-Ronen Y, Israeli O, Nemet I, Kliker L, Zuckerman N, Glinert I, Noy-Porat T, Alcalay R, Rosenfeld R, Levy H, Mazor O, Mandelboim M, Mendelson E, Beth-Din A, Israely T, Mechaly A. Sensitive Immunodetection of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variants of Concern 501Y.V2 and 501Y.V1. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:616-619. [PMID: 34398244 PMCID: PMC8194863 DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiab278] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Accepted: 05/20/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Emerging severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) variants may influence the effectiveness of existing laboratory diagnostics. In the current study we determined whether the British (20I/501Y.V1) and South African (20H/501Y.V2) SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern are detected with an in-house S1-based antigen detection assay, analyzing spiked pools of quantitative reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction-negative nasopharyngeal swab specimens. The assay, combining 4 monoclonal antibodies, allowed sensitive detection of both the wild type and the variants of concern, despite accumulation of several mutations in the variants' S1 region-results suggesting that this combination, targeting distinct epitopes, enables both specificity and the universality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moria Barlev-Gross
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Shay Weiss
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Nir Paran
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Yfat Yahalom-Ronen
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Ofir Israeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Ital Nemet
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan,Israel
| | - Limor Kliker
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan,Israel
| | - Neta Zuckerman
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan,Israel
| | - Itai Glinert
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Haim Levy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Michal Mandelboim
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan,Israel.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv,Israel
| | - Ella Mendelson
- Israel Center for Disease Control, Israel Ministry of Health, Tel HaShomer, Ramat Gan,Israel.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv,Israel
| | - Adi Beth-Din
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness Ziona,Israel
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12
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Falach R, Bar-On L, Lazar S, Kadar T, Mazor O, Aftalion M, Gur D, Evgy Y, Shifman O, Aminov T, Israeli O, Cohen-Gihon I, Zaide G, Gutman H, Vagima Y, Makdasi E, Stein D, Rosenfeld R, Alcalay R, Zahavy E, Levy H, Glinert I, Ben-Shmuel A, Israely T, Melamed S, Politi B, Achdout H, Yitzhaki S, Kronman C, Sabo T. Mice with induced pulmonary morbidities display severe lung inflammation and mortality following exposure to SARS-CoV-2. JCI Insight 2021; 6:145916. [PMID: 33974566 PMCID: PMC8262502 DOI: 10.1172/jci.insight.145916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/10/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2021] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Mice are normally unaffected by SARS coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection since the virus does not bind effectively to the murine version of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor molecule. Here, we report that induced mild pulmonary morbidities rendered SARS-CoV-2–refractive CD-1 mice susceptible to this virus. Specifically, SARS-CoV-2 infection after application of low doses of the acute lung injury stimulants bleomycin or ricin caused severe disease in CD-1 mice, manifested by sustained body weight loss and mortality rates greater than 50%. Further studies revealed markedly higher levels of viral RNA in the lungs, heart, and serum of low-dose ricin–pretreated mice compared with non-pretreated mice. Furthermore, lung extracts prepared 2–3 days after viral infection contained subgenomic mRNA and virus particles capable of replication only when derived from the pretreated mice. The deleterious effects of SARS-CoV-2 infection were effectively alleviated by passive transfer of polyclonal or monoclonal antibodies generated against the SARS-CoV-2 receptor binding domain (RBD). Thus, viral cell entry in the sensitized mice seems to depend on viral RBD binding, albeit by a mechanism other than the canonical ACE2-mediated uptake route. This unique mode of viral entry, observed over a mildly injured tissue background, may contribute to the exacerbation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pathologies in patients with preexisting morbidities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reut Falach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Liat Bar-On
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | | | | | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - David Gur
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Yentl Evgy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Ohad Shifman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Tamar Aminov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Ofir Israeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | | | - Galia Zaide
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | | | - Yaron Vagima
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Dana Stein
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | | | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Eran Zahavy
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
| | - Haim Levy
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Itai Glinert
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Amir Ben-Shmuel
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Boaz Politi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Hagit Achdout
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Shmuel Yitzhaki
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Tamar Sabo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
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13
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Elia U, Rotem S, Bar-Haim E, Ramishetti S, Naidu GS, Gur D, Aftalion M, Israeli M, Bercovich-Kinori A, Alcalay R, Makdasi E, Chitlaru T, Rosenfeld R, Israely T, Melamed S, Abutbul Ionita I, Danino D, Peer D, Cohen O. Lipid Nanoparticle RBD-hFc mRNA Vaccine Protects hACE2 Transgenic Mice against a Lethal SARS-CoV-2 Infection. Nano Lett 2021; 21:4774-4779. [PMID: 34032435 DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.1c01284] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The COVID-19 pandemic led to development of mRNA vaccines, which became a leading anti-SARS-CoV-2 immunization platform. Preclinical studies are limited to infection-prone animals such as hamsters and monkeys in which protective efficacy of vaccines cannot be fully appreciated. We recently reported a SARS-CoV-2 human Fc-conjugated receptor-binding domain (RBD-hFc) mRNA vaccine delivered via lipid nanoparticles (LNPs). BALB/c mice demonstrated specific immunologic responses following RBD-hFc mRNA vaccination. Now, we evaluated the protective effect of this RBD-hFc mRNA vaccine by employing the K18 human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (K18-hACE2) mouse model. Administration of an RBD-hFc mRNA vaccine to K18-hACE2 mice resulted in robust humoral responses comprising binding and neutralizing antibodies. In correlation with this response, 70% of vaccinated mice withstood a lethal SARS-CoV-2 dose, while all control animals succumbed to infection. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first nonreplicating mRNA vaccine study reporting protection of K18-hACE2 against a lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Uri Elia
- Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine, Shmunis School for Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Shahar Rotem
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Erez Bar-Haim
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Srinivas Ramishetti
- Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine, Shmunis School for Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Gonna Somu Naidu
- Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine, Shmunis School for Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - David Gur
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Ma'ayan Israeli
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Adi Bercovich-Kinori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Theodor Chitlaru
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
| | - Inbal Abutbul Ionita
- CryoEM Laboratory of Soft Matter, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Dganit Danino
- CryoEM Laboratory of Soft Matter, Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Engineering, Technion-Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa 3200003, Israel
| | - Dan Peer
- Laboratory of Precision NanoMedicine, Shmunis School for Biomedicine and Cancer Research, George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Department of Materials Sciences and Engineering, Iby and Aladar Fleischman Faculty of Engineering, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Cancer Biology Research Center, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Ofer Cohen
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
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14
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Noy-Porat T, Mechaly A, Levy Y, Makdasi E, Alcalay R, Gur D, Aftalion M, Falach R, Leviatan Ben-Arye S, Lazar S, Zauberman A, Epstein E, Chitlaru T, Weiss S, Achdout H, Edgeworth JD, Kikkeri R, Yu H, Chen X, Yitzhaki S, Shapira SC, Padler-Karavani V, Mazor O, Rosenfeld R. Therapeutic antibodies, targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike N-terminal domain, protect lethally infected K18-hACE2 mice. iScience 2021; 24:102479. [PMID: 33937725 PMCID: PMC8074524 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102479] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Neutralizing antibodies represent a valuable therapeutic approach to countermeasure the current COVID-19 pandemic. Emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants emphasizes the notion that antibody treatments need to rely on highly neutralizing monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), targeting several distinct epitopes for circumventing therapy escape mutants. Previously, we reported efficient human therapeutic mAbs recognizing epitopes on the spike receptor-binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. Here we report the isolation, characterization, and recombinant production of 12 neutralizing human mAbs, targeting three distinct epitopes on the spike N-terminal domain of the virus. Neutralization mechanism of these antibodies involves receptors other than the canonical hACE2 on target cells, relying both on amino acid and N-glycan epitope recognition, suggesting alternative viral cellular portals. Two selected mAbs demonstrated full protection of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice when administered at low doses and late post-exposure, demonstrating the high potential of the mAbs for therapy of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Isolation of potent neutralizing antibodies, targeting the NTD of SARS-CoV-2 Involvement of both protein and glycan moieties in antibody binding was suggested Post-exposure protection of lethally infected K18-hACE2 mice by BLN12 and BLN14
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Yinon Levy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - David Gur
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Reut Falach
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Shani Leviatan Ben-Arye
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Shirley Lazar
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Shay Weiss
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Hagit Achdout
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Jonathan D. Edgeworth
- Department of Infectious Diseases, School of Immunology & Microbial Sciences, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Raghavendra Kikkeri
- Department of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune 411008, India
| | - Hai Yu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California-Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Shmuel Yitzhaki
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Vered Padler-Karavani
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
- Corresponding author
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
- Corresponding author
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15
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Makdasi E, Levy Y, Alcalay R, Noy-Porat T, Zahavy E, Mechaly A, Epstein E, Peretz E, Cohen H, Bar-On L, Chitlaru T, Cohen O, Glinert I, Achdout H, Israely T, Rosenfeld R, Mazor O. Neutralizing Monoclonal Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies Isolated from Immunized Rabbits Define Novel Vulnerable Spike-Protein Epitope. Viruses 2021; 13:566. [PMID: 33810465 PMCID: PMC8065470 DOI: 10.3390/v13040566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2021] [Revised: 03/19/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Monoclonal antibodies represent an important avenue for COVID-19 therapy and are routinely used for rapid and accessible diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The recent emergence of SARS-CoV-2 genetic variants emphasized the need to enlarge the repertoire of antibodies that target diverse epitopes, the combination of which may improve immune-diagnostics, augment the efficiency of the immunotherapy and prevent selection of escape-mutants. Antigen-specific controlled immunization of experimental animals may elicit antibody repertoires that significantly differ from those generated in the context of the immune response mounted in the course of disease. Accordingly, rabbits were immunized by several recombinant antigens representing distinct domains of the viral spike protein and monoclonal antibodies were isolated from single cells obtained by cell sorting. Characterization of a panel of successfully isolated anti-receptor binding domain (RBD) and anti-N-terminal domain (NTD) antibodies demonstrated that they exhibit high specificity and affinity profiles. Anti-RBD antibodies revealing significant neutralizing potency against SARS-CoV-2 in vitro were found to target at least three distinct epitopes. Epitope mapping established that two of these antibodies recognized a novel epitope located on the surface of the RBD. We suggest that the antibodies isolated in this study are useful for designing SARS-CoV-2 diagnosis and therapy approaches.
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16
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Barlev-Gross M, Weiss S, Ben-Shmuel A, Sittner A, Eden K, Mazuz N, Glinert I, Bar-David E, Puni R, Amit S, Kriger O, Schuster O, Alcalay R, Makdasi E, Epstein E, Noy-Porat T, Rosenfeld R, Achdout H, Mazor O, Israely T, Levy H, Mechaly A. Spike vs nucleocapsid SARS-CoV-2 antigen detection: application in nasopharyngeal swab specimens. Anal Bioanal Chem 2021; 413:3501-3510. [PMID: 33768365 PMCID: PMC7993413 DOI: 10.1007/s00216-021-03298-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2021] [Revised: 03/09/2021] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 12/22/2022]
Abstract
Public health experts emphasize the need for quick, point-of-care SARS-CoV-2 detection as an effective strategy for controlling virus spread. To this end, many “antigen” detection devices were developed and commercialized. These devices are mostly based on detecting SARS-CoV-2’s nucleocapsid protein. Recently, alerts issued by both the FDA and the CDC raised concerns regarding the devices’ tendency to exhibit false positive results. In this work, we developed a novel alternative spike-based antigen assay, comprising four high-affinity, specific monoclonal antibodies, directed against different epitopes on the spike’s S1 subunit. The assay’s performance was evaluated for COVID-19 detection from nasopharyngeal swabs, compared to an in-house nucleocapsid-based assay, composed of novel antibodies directed against the nucleocapsid. Detection of COVID-19 was carried out in a cohort of 284 qRT-PCR positive and negative nasopharyngeal swab samples. The time resolved fluorescence (TRF) ELISA spike assay displayed very high specificity (99%) accompanied with a somewhat lower sensitivity (66% for Ct < 25), compared to the nucleocapsid ELISA assay which was more sensitive (85% for Ct < 25) while less specific (87% specificity). Despite being outperformed by qRT-PCR, we suggest that there is room for such tests in the clinical setting, as cheap and rapid pre-screening tools. Our results further suggest that when applying antigen detection, one must consider its intended application (sensitivity vs specificity), taking into consideration that the nucleocapsid might not be the optimal target. In this regard, we propose that a combination of both antigens might contribute to the validity of the results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Moria Barlev-Gross
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Shay Weiss
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Amir Ben-Shmuel
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Assa Sittner
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Keren Eden
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Noam Mazuz
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Itai Glinert
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Elad Bar-David
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Reut Puni
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Amit
- Clinical Microbiology, Sheba Medical Centre, 52621, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Or Kriger
- Clinical Microbiology, Sheba Medical Centre, 52621, Ramat-Gan, Israel
| | - Ofir Schuster
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- The Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- The Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness Ziona, Israel
| | - Hagit Achdout
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Tomer Israely
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Haim Levy
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- The Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, 7410001, Ness-Ziona, Israel.
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17
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Rosenfeld R, Noy-Porat T, Mechaly A, Makdasi E, Levy Y, Alcalay R, Falach R, Aftalion M, Epstein E, Gur D, Chitlaru T, Vitner EB, Melamed S, Politi B, Zauberman A, Lazar S, Beth-Din A, Evgy Y, Yitzhaki S, Shapira SC, Israely T, Mazor O. Post-exposure protection of SARS-CoV-2 lethal infected K18-hACE2 transgenic mice by neutralizing human monoclonal antibody. Nat Commun 2021; 12:944. [PMID: 33574228 PMCID: PMC7878817 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21239-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2020] [Accepted: 01/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), exhibits high levels of mortality and morbidity and has dramatic consequences on human life, sociality and global economy. Neutralizing antibodies constitute a highly promising approach for treating and preventing infection by this novel pathogen. In the present study, we characterize and further evaluate the recently identified human monoclonal MD65 antibody for its ability to provide protection against a lethal SARS-CoV-2 infection of K18-hACE2 transgenic mice. Eighty percent of the untreated mice succumbed 6-9 days post-infection, while administration of the MD65 antibody as late as 3 days after exposure rescued all infected animals. In addition, the efficiency of the treatment is supported by prevention of morbidity and ablation of the load of infective virions in the lungs of treated animals. The data demonstrate the therapeutic value of human monoclonal antibodies as a life-saving treatment for severe COVID-19 infection.
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MESH Headings
- Animals
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/administration & dosage
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/genetics
- Antibodies, Monoclonal/immunology
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/administration & dosage
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/genetics
- Antibodies, Neutralizing/immunology
- Antibodies, Viral/administration & dosage
- Antibodies, Viral/genetics
- Antibodies, Viral/immunology
- COVID-19/immunology
- Chlorocebus aethiops
- Female
- Immunoglobulin G/administration & dosage
- Immunoglobulin G/genetics
- Immunoglobulin G/immunology
- Lung/pathology
- Lung/virology
- Male
- Mice, Inbred C57BL
- Mice, Transgenic
- SARS-CoV-2/classification
- SARS-CoV-2/physiology
- Seroconversion
- Vero Cells
- Viral Load
- COVID-19 Drug Treatment
- Mice
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Rosenfeld
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel.
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Efi Makdasi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Yinon Levy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Reut Falach
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - David Gur
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Einat B Vitner
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Melamed
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Boaz Politi
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Shirley Lazar
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Adi Beth-Din
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Yentl Evgy
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Shmuel Yitzhaki
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | | | - Tomer Israely
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel.
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18
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Saini P, Rudakou U, Yu E, Ruskey J, Asayesh F, Laurent S, Spiegelman D, Fahn S, Waters C, Monchi O, Dauvilliers Y, Dupré N, Greenbaum L, Hassin-Baer S, Espay A, Rouleau G, Alcalay R, Fon E, Gan-Or Z. Sequencing the entire exome of REM sleep behavior and progression to neurodegenerative diseases. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.parkreldis.2020.06.119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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19
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Amon R, Rosenfeld R, Perlmutter S, Grant OC, Yehuda S, Borenstein-Katz A, Alcalay R, Marshanski T, Yu H, Diskin R, Woods RJ, Chen X, Padler-Karavani V. Directed Evolution of Therapeutic Antibodies Targeting Glycosylation in Cancer. Cancers (Basel) 2020; 12:cancers12102824. [PMID: 33007970 PMCID: PMC7601599 DOI: 10.3390/cancers12102824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 09/28/2020] [Indexed: 01/07/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary We generated a platform for designing optimized functional therapeutic antibodies against cancer glycans. The target tumor-associated carbohydrate antigen is commonly expressed in colon and pancreatic cancers. We developed a system for selection of potent antibodies by yeast surface display against this carbohydrate antigen, then showed that elite clones have potent affinity, specificity, cancer cell binding, and therapeutic efficacy. These tools have broad utility for manipulating and engineering antibodies against carbohydrate antigens, and provide major innovative avenues of research in the field of cancer therapy and diagnostics. Abstract Glycosylation patterns commonly change in cancer, resulting in expression of tumor-associated carbohydrate antigens (TACA). While promising, currently available anti-glycan antibodies are not useful for clinical cancer therapy. Here, we show that potent anti-glycan antibodies can be engineered to acquire cancer therapeutic efficacy. We designed yeast surface display to generate and select for therapeutic antibodies against the TACA SLea (CA19−9) in colon and pancreatic cancers. Elite clones showed increased affinity, better specificity, improved binding of human pancreatic and colon cancer cell lines, and increased complement-dependent therapeutic efficacy. Molecular modeling explained the structural basis for improved antibody functionality at the molecular level. These new tools of directed molecular evolution and selection for effective anti-glycan antibodies, provide insights into the mechanisms of cancer therapy targeting glycosylation, and provide major methodological advances that are likely to open up innovative avenues of research in the field of cancer theranostics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Amon
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; (R.A.); (S.P.); (S.Y.); (T.M.)
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.R.); (R.A.)
| | - Shahar Perlmutter
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; (R.A.); (S.P.); (S.Y.); (T.M.)
- The Azrieli Faculty of Medicine, Bar Ilan University, Safed 1311502, Israel
| | - Oliver C. Grant
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA; (O.C.G.); (R.J.W.)
| | - Sharon Yehuda
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; (R.A.); (S.P.); (S.Y.); (T.M.)
| | - Aliza Borenstein-Katz
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (A.B.-K.); (R.D.)
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.R.); (R.A.)
| | - Tal Marshanski
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; (R.A.); (S.P.); (S.Y.); (T.M.)
| | - Hai Yu
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (H.Y.); (X.C.)
| | - Ron Diskin
- Department of Structural Biology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot 76100, Israel; (A.B.-K.); (R.D.)
| | - Robert J. Woods
- Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30606, USA; (O.C.G.); (R.J.W.)
| | - Xi Chen
- Department of Chemistry, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA; (H.Y.); (X.C.)
| | - Vered Padler-Karavani
- Department of Cell Research and Immunology, The George S. Wise Faculty of Life Sciences, The Shmunis School of Biomedicine and Cancer Research, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel; (R.A.); (S.P.); (S.Y.); (T.M.)
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-3-640-6737
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20
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Alcalay R, Falach R, Gal Y, Sapoznikov A, Sabo T, Kronman C, Mazor O. Mapping Immunodominant Antibody Epitopes of Abrin. Antibodies (Basel) 2020; 9:antib9020011. [PMID: 32349421 PMCID: PMC7344891 DOI: 10.3390/antib9020011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/23/2020] [Revised: 04/21/2020] [Accepted: 04/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Abrin, a toxin isolated from the seeds of Abrus precatorius (jequirity pea) is considered a biological threat agent by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. To date, there is no effective postexposure treatment for abrin poisoning, and efforts are being made to develop an efficient vaccine and measures for postexposure therapy. Epitope mapping is widely applied as an efficient tool for discovering the antigenic moieties of toxins, thus providing invaluable information needed for the development of vaccines and therapies. Aiming to identify the immunodominant epitopes of abrin, several neutralizing antiabrin polyclonal antibodies were screened using a set of 15-mer peptides spanning the amino acid sequence of either the A or B subunits of abrin. Analysis of the antibody-binding pattern revealed 11 linear epitopes for the A subunit and 14 epitopes for the B subunit that are located on the surface of the toxin and thus accessible for antibody interactions. Moreover, the spatial location of several of these epitopes suggests they may block the galactose-binding pockets or the catalytic domain, thus neutralizing the toxin. These findings provide useful information and suggest a possible strategy for the development and design of an improved abrin-based vaccine and therapeutic antibodies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Reut Falach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Yoav Gal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Anita Sapoznikov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Tamar Sabo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Chanoch Kronman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (R.F.); (Y.G.); (A.S.); (T.S.); (C.K.)
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-8-9385862; Fax: +972-8-9381544
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21
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Koslawsky D, Zaretsky M, Alcalay R, Mazor O, Aharoni A, Papo N. A bi-specific inhibitor targeting IL-17A and MMP-9 reduces invasion and motility in MDA-MB-231 cells. Oncotarget 2018; 9:28500-28513. [PMID: 29983876 PMCID: PMC6033355 DOI: 10.18632/oncotarget.25526] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2018] [Accepted: 05/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The cytokine IL-17A is associated with the progression of various cancers, but little is known about the molecular cross-talk between IL-17A and other tumor-promoting factors. Previous studies have shown that the IL-17A-mediated invasion of breast cancer cells can be inhibited by selective antagonists of the matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9), suggesting that the cross-talk between IL-17A and MMP-9 may promote cancer invasiveness and metastasis. Here, we present a novel strategy for developing cancer therapeutics, based on the simultaneous binding and inhibition of both IL-17A and MMP-9. To this end, we use a bi-specific heterodimeric fusion protein, comprising a natural inhibitor of MMPs (N-TIMP2) fused with an engineered extracellular domain (V3) of the IL-17A receptor. We show that, as compared with the mono-specific inhibitors of IL-17A (V3) and MMP-9 (N-TIMP2), the engineered bi-specific fusion protein inhibits both MMP-9 activation and IL-17A-induced cytokine secretion from fibroblasts and exhibits a synergistic inhibition of both the migration and invasion of breast cancer cells. Our findings demonstrate, for the first time, that dual targeting of inflammatory (IL-17A) and extracellular matrix remodeling (MMP) pathways can potentially be used as a novel therapeutic approach against cancer. Moreover, the platform developed here for generating the bi-specific IL-17A/MMP-9 inhibitor can be utilized for generating bi-specific inhibitors for other cytokines and MMPs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana Koslawsky
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Marianna Zaretsky
- Department of Life Sciences, The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Amir Aharoni
- Department of Life Sciences, The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Niv Papo
- Department of Biotechnology Engineering, The National Institute of Biotechnology in the Negev, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
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22
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Mechaly A, Alcalay R, Noy-Porat T, Epstein E, Gal Y, Mazor O. Novel Phage Display-Derived Anti-Abrin Antibodies Confer Post-Exposure Protection against Abrin Intoxication. Toxins (Basel) 2018; 10:toxins10020080. [PMID: 29438273 PMCID: PMC5848181 DOI: 10.3390/toxins10020080] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2018] [Revised: 02/06/2018] [Accepted: 02/08/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Abrin toxin is a type 2 ribosome inactivating glycoprotein isolated from the seeds of Abrus precatorius (jequirity pea). Owing to its high toxicity, relative ease of purification and accessibility, it is considered a biological threat agent. To date, there is no effective post-exposure treatment for abrin poisoning and passive immunization remains the most effective therapy. However, the effectiveness of anti-abrin monoclonal antibodies for post-exposure therapy following abrin intoxication has not been demonstrated. The aim of this study was to isolate high affinity anti-abrin antibodies that possess potent toxin-neutralization capabilities. An immune scFv phage-display library was constructed from an abrin-immunized rabbit and a panel of antibodies (six directed against the A subunit of abrin and four against the B subunit) was isolated and expressed as scFv-Fc antibodies. By pair-wise analysis, we found that these antibodies target five distinct epitopes on the surface of abrin and that antibodies against all these sites can bind the toxin simultaneously. Several of these antibodies (namely, RB9, RB10, RB28 and RB30) conferred high protection against pulmonary intoxication of mice, when administered six hours post exposure to a lethal dose of abrin. The data presented in this study demonstrate for the first time the efficacy of monoclonal antibodies in treatment of mice after pulmonary intoxication with abrin and promote the use of these antibodies, one or several, for post-exposure treatment of abrin intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adva Mechaly
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel;
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (T.N.-P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Tal Noy-Porat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (T.N.-P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel;
| | - Yoav Gal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel; (R.A.); (T.N.-P.); (Y.G.)
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel;
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +972-8-938-5862; Fax: +972-8-938-1544
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23
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Rosenfeld R, Alcalay R, Mechaly A, Lapidoth G, Epstein E, Kronman C, J Fleishman S, Mazor O. Improved antibody-based ricin neutralization by affinity maturation is correlated with slower off-rate values. Protein Eng Des Sel 2017; 30:611-617. [PMID: 28472478 DOI: 10.1093/protein/gzx028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2016] [Accepted: 04/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
While potent monoclonal antibodies against ricin were introduced over the years, the question whether increasing antibody affinity enables better toxin neutralization was not fully addressed yet. The aim of this study was to characterize the contribution of antibody affinity to the ricin neutralization potential of the antibody. cHD23 monoclonal antibody that targets the toxin B-subunit and interferes with its binding to membranal receptors, was isolated. In order to create antibody clones with improved affinity toward ricin, a scFv-phage display library containing mutated versions of the variable regions of cHD23 was constructed and clones with improved binding of ricin were isolated. Structural modeling of these mutants suggests that the inserted mutations may increase the antibody conformational flexibility thus improving its ability to bind ricin. While it was found that the selected clones exhibited improved neutralization of ricin, the correlation between the KD values and potency was only minor (r = 0.55). However, a positive correlation (r = 0.84) exist between the off-rate values (koff) of the affinity matured clones and their ability to neutralize ricin. As cell membranes display inordinately large amounts of potential surface binding sites for ricin, it is suggested that antibodies with improved off-rate values block the ability of the toxin to bind to target receptors, in a highly efficient manner. Currently, antibody-based therapy is the most effective treatment for ricin intoxication and it is anticipated that the findings of this study will provide useful information and a possible strategy to design an improved antibody-based therapy for the toxin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Adva Mechaly
- Department of Infectious Diseases, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Gideon Lapidoth
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzel St., Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Chanoch Kronman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
| | - Sarel J Fleishman
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences, Weizmann Institute of Science, 234 Herzel St., Rehovot 7610001, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Lerrer St., Ness-Ziona 74100, Israel
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24
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Noy-Porat T, Alcalay R, Epstein E, Sabo T, Kronman C, Mazor O. Extended therapeutic window for post-exposure treatment of ricin intoxication conferred by the use of high-affinity antibodies. Toxicon 2017; 127:100-105. [PMID: 28089771 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxicon.2017.01.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 01/09/2017] [Accepted: 01/10/2017] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
The plant toxin ricin is considered a potential bioterror agent against which there is no available antidote. To date, neutralizing antibodies are the most promising post-exposure treatment for ricin intoxication, yet so far they were shown to be effective only when given within several hours post exposure. As part of an ongoing effort to develop efficient ricin-countermeasures, we tested whether high-affinity antibodies that were previously isolated from immunized non-human primates, may confer effective post-exposure therapy for ricin-intoxicated mice treated at late time-points after exposure. While each antibody is capable of providing high protection rate by itself, a formulation consisting of three neutralizing antibodies that target different epitopes was tested to provide therapeutic coverage against different variants of the malicious pathogen. Indeed, the tri-antibody based cocktail was highly effective, its administration resulting in very high survival rates (>70%) when animals were treated as late as 48 h post exposure and significant protection (>30%) even at 72 h. This study establishes for the first time that anti-ricin antibodies can serve as a highly effective antidote at such late time-points after exposure. From the clinical point of view, the extended therapeutic window documented here is of high importance allowing adequate time to accurately identify the causative agent and may permit initiation of life-saving treatment with these antibodies even after the onset of clinical signs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Tamar Sabo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Chanoch Kronman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel.
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Noy-Porat T, Rosenfeld R, Ariel N, Epstein E, Alcalay R, Zvi A, Kronman C, Ordentlich A, Mazor O. Isolation of Anti-Ricin Protective Antibodies Exhibiting High Affinity from Immunized Non-Human Primates. Toxins (Basel) 2016; 8:toxins8030064. [PMID: 26950154 PMCID: PMC4810209 DOI: 10.3390/toxins8030064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/06/2016] [Revised: 02/25/2016] [Accepted: 02/26/2016] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Ricin, derived from the castor bean plant Ricinus communis, is one of the most potent and lethal toxins known, against which there is no available antidote. To date, the use of neutralizing antibodies is the most promising post-exposure treatment for ricin intoxication. The aim of this study was to isolate high affinity anti-ricin antibodies that possess potent toxin-neutralization capabilities. Two non-human primates were immunized with either a ricin-holotoxin- or subunit-based vaccine, to ensure the elicitation of diverse high affinity antibodies. By using a comprehensive set of primers, immune scFv phage-displayed libraries were constructed and panned. A panel of 10 antibodies (five directed against the A subunit of ricin and five against the B subunit) was isolated and reformatted into a full-length chimeric IgG. All of these antibodies were found to neutralize ricin in vitro, and several conferred full protection to ricin-intoxicated mice when given six hours after exposure. Six antibodies were found to possess exceptionally high affinity toward the toxin, with KD values below pM (koff < 1 × 10−7 s−1) that were well correlated with their ability to neutralize ricin. These antibodies, alone or in combination, could be used for the development of a highly-effective therapeutic preparation for post-exposure treatment of ricin intoxication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Ronit Rosenfeld
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Naomi Ariel
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Department of Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Anat Zvi
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Chanoch Kronman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Arie Ordentlich
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona 76100, Israel.
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Noy-Porat T, Cohen O, Ehrlich S, Epstein E, Alcalay R, Mazor O. Acetylcholinesterase-Fc Fusion Protein (AChE-Fc): A Novel Potential Organophosphate Bioscavenger with Extended Plasma Half-Life. Bioconjug Chem 2015; 26:1753-8. [DOI: 10.1021/acs.bioconjchem.5b00305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tal Noy-Porat
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ofer Cohen
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Sharon Ehrlich
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Eyal Epstein
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Departments
of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics and ‡Biotechnology, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
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Gal Y, Mazor O, Alcalay R, Seliger N, Aftalion M, Sapoznikov A, Falach R, Kronman C, Sabo T. Antibody/doxycycline combined therapy for pulmonary ricinosis: Attenuation of inflammation improves survival of ricin-intoxicated mice. Toxicol Rep 2014; 1:496-504. [PMID: 28962263 PMCID: PMC5598361 DOI: 10.1016/j.toxrep.2014.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2014] [Revised: 07/22/2014] [Accepted: 07/22/2014] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Ricin, a highly toxic plant-derived toxin, is considered a potential weapon in biological warfare due to its high availability and ease of preparation. Pulmonary exposure to ricin results in the generation of an acute edematous inflammation followed by respiratory insufficiency and death. Passive immunization with polyclonal anti-ricin antibodies conferred protection against pulmonary ricinosis, however, at clinically-relevant time points for treatment, survival rates were limited. In this study, intranasal instillation of a lethal dose of ricin to mice, served as a lung challenge model for the evaluation and comparison of different therapeutic modalities against pulmonary ricinosis. We show that treatment with doxycycline resulted in a significant reduction of pro-inflammatory cytokines, markers of oxidative stress and capillary permeability in the lungs of the mice. Moreover, survival rates of mice intoxicated with ricin and treated 24 h later with anti-ricin antibody were significantly improved by co-administration of doxycycline. In contrast, co-administration of the steroid drug dexamethasone with anti-ricin antibodies did not increase survival rates when administered at late hours after intoxication, however dexamethasone did exert a positive effect on survival when applied in conjunction with the doxycycline treatment. These studies strongly suggest that combined therapy, comprised of neutralizing anti-ricin antibodies and an appropriate anti-inflammatory agent, can promote high-level protection against pulmonary ricinosis at clinically-relevant time points post-exposure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yoav Gal
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ohad Mazor
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Ron Alcalay
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Nehama Seliger
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Moshe Aftalion
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Anita Sapoznikov
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Reut Falach
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Chanoch Kronman
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
| | - Tamar Sabo
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics, Israel Institute for Biological Research, Ness-Ziona, Israel
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Alcalay R. Child care practices of mexican-american working mothers: a pilot study. Int Q Community Health Educ 2012; 16:155-74. [PMID: 20841043 DOI: 10.2190/eb3h-172p-cacm-a52a] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
There is scarce information on child care strategies among Hispanics in the United States. The purpose of this pilot study was to identify and understand child care practices in a sample of forty-five Mexican-American working mothers living in northern California by means of conducting six focus groups. Results included data on child care selection, problems, and preferences. Results also expose myths based on ethnic stereotyping that have obscured the understanding of this issue. Suggestions for further research are discussed as well as child care policy considerations.
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Alcalay R, Rosado L, Mejia-Santana H, Orbe-Reilly M, Caccappolo E, Tang M, Ruiz D, Ross B, Verbitsky M, Kisselev S, Louis E, Comella C, Colcher A, Jennings D, Nance M, Bressman S, Scott W, Tanner C, Andrews H, Waters C, Fahn S, Cote L, Frucht S, Ford B, Rezak M, Novak K, Friedman J, Pfeiffer R, Marsh L, Hiner B, Siderowf A, Payami H, Molho E, Nutt J, Factor S, Ottman R, Clark L, Marder K. Clinical and Genetic Characteristics of Participants with Juvenile PD: The CORE-PD Study (IN10-2.001). Neurology 2012. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.78.1_meetingabstracts.in10-2.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Alcalay R, Rosado L, Mejia-Santana H, Orbe-Reilly M, Caccappolo E, Tang M, Ruiz D, Ross B, Verbitsky M, Kisselev S, Louis E, Comella C, Colcher A, Jennings D, Nance M, Bressman S, Scott W, Tanner C, Andrews H, Waters C, Fahn S, Cote L, Frucht S, Ford B, Rezak M, Novak K, Friedman J, Pfeiffer R, Marsh L, Hiner B, Siderowf A, Payami H, Molho E, Nutt J, Factor S, Ottman R, Clark L, Marder K. Clinical and Genetic Characteristics of Participants with Juvenile PD: The CORE-PD Study (S42.002). Neurology 2012. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.78.1_meetingabstracts.s42.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Caccappolo E, Alcalay R, Marder K, Tang M, Rosado L, Mejia-Santana H, Ruiz D, Orbe-Reilly M, Ross B, Verbitsky M, Kisselev S, Louis E, Colcher A, Comella C, Siderowf A, Jennings D, Nance M, Bressman S, Scott W, Tanner C, Mickel S, Waters C, Fahn S, Cote L, Frucht S, Ford B, Rezak M, Friedman J, Marsh L, Hiner B, Payami H, Molho E, Ottman R, Clark L. The Effect of Parkin Mutation Status on Cognitive Functioning in EOPD Patients with Long Disease Duration: The CORE-PD Study (PD7.008). Neurology 2012. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.78.1_meetingabstracts.pd7.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Marder K, Tang MX, Alcalay R, Rosado L, Mejia-Santana H, Caccappolo E, Ruiz D, Orbe-Reilly M, Ross B, Louis E, Comella C, Colcher A, Siderowf A, Jennings D, Nance M, Rezak M, Novak K, Friedman J, Pfeiffer R, Marsh L, Hiner B, Payami H, Molho E, Factor S, Bressman S, Scott W, Tanner C, Mickel S, Andrews H, Waters C, Cote L, Frucht S, Ford B, Verbitsky M, Kisselev S, Ottman R, Clark L. Estimating the Cumulative Risk of PD in Carriers of Parkin Mutations: The CORE-PD Study (PD4.007). Neurology 2012. [DOI: 10.1212/wnl.78.1_meetingabstracts.pd4.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
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Friedman JH, Agarwal P, Alcalay R, Black KJ, Chou KL, Cote L, Dayalu P, Frank S, Hartlein J, Hauser RA, Lang AE, Marsh L, Marshall F, Moskowitz C, Ravina B, Riley D, Sanchez-Ramos J, Simon DK, Simuni T, Sutton J, Tuite P, Weintraub D, Zesiewicz T. Clinical vignettes in Parkinson's disease: a collection of unusual medication-induced hallucinations, delusions, and compulsive behaviours. Int J Neurosci 2011; 121:472-6. [PMID: 21663381 DOI: 10.3109/00207454.2011.578779] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Hallucinations, delusions, and compulsive behaviors are frequent iatrogenic complications of the treatment of motor dysfunction in Parkinson's disease (PD). Although these have been studied, and the phenomenology described, there are few detailed descriptions of the various psychiatric problems our treated PD patients live with that allow physicians who do not have a great deal of experience with PD patients to appreciate the extent of their altered lives. This report is a compilation of vignettes describing these behavioral problems that the treating neurologist or psychiatrist attributed to the medications used for treating PD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph H Friedman
- Department of Neurology, Alpert School of Medicine, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island 02906, USA.
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Alcalay R, Alvarado M, Balcazar H, Newman E, Huerta E. Salud para su Corazón: a community-based Latino cardiovascular disease prevention and outreach model. J Community Health 1999; 24:359-79. [PMID: 10555925 DOI: 10.1023/a:1018734303968] [Citation(s) in RCA: 74] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death for Latinos living in the United States. This population is generally unaware of important lifestyle or behavioral changes that can prevent CVD. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) designed and implemented Salud para su Corazón (Health for Your Heart), a culturally appropriate, community-based, theory-driven intervention model. NHLBI's goals were: (1) to design an intervention model appropriate to Latino populations; (2) to pilot test the model in a specific community with the objectives of increasing awareness about heart disease, raising knowledge about CVD prevention, and promoting heart-healthy lifestyles; and (3) to disseminate the model and the materials developed to other communities with similar needs. An agency-community partnership, under the leadership of the Community Alliance for Heart Health, guided all stages of the community intervention project. The multimedia bilingual community intervention included television telenovela format public service announcements (PSAs), radio programs, brochures, recipe booklets, charlas, a promotores training manual, and motivational videos. An evaluation survey assessed the impact of the intervention. A pre-post intervention survey was conducted with more than 300 participants, and results showed that the respondents were substantially more aware of risk factors for CVD, and had greatly increased their knowledge of ways to prevent heart disease. Dissemination efforts have resulted in numerous requests by health organizations, universities, and health maintenance organizations (HMOs) for educational materials and communication strategies produced by Salud para su Corazón. In addition, Univision, the largest Spanish-language broadcast television network, is airing the initiative's PSAs. Also, training seminars for promotores are being conducted in different regions of the United States, and several locations are planning to replicate this study.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Alcalay
- Department of Communication, University of California at Davis, 95616-8695, USA
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Abstract
This article analyzes the state of development of communications related to health in universities of the United States of America. This specialty is essential for people's well-being, and it involves interpersonal, organizational, and mass communications. In the United States, communications for health promotion is an area of applied communications with social relevance and generally performed in interdisciplinary settings. A number of universities in the United States offer communications master's degree programs with an emphasis on health. However, so far, the only program with a formal graduate degree in health and communications is one jointly offered by the Emerson University Department of Communications and the Tufts School of Medicine. Developing and including this specialization in the schools of communications in Latin America is crucial to improving the quality of life of the peoples of the continent.
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Affiliation(s)
- R Alcalay
- Universidad de California en Davis, Departamento de Comunicaciones 95616, USA.
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Bell RA, Alcalay R. The impact of the Wellness Guide/Guía on Hispanic women's well-being-related knowledge, efficacy beliefs, and behaviors: the mediating role of acculturation. Health Educ Behav 1997; 24:326-43. [PMID: 9158977 DOI: 10.1177/109019819702400306] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
This study examined how acculturation mediated the impact of the California Wellness Guide/La Guía del Bienestar on Hispanic women's knowledge, efficacy beliefs, and behaviors. Knowledge gaps were found between acculturated and less acculturated women. Acculturated mothers had more confidence in their abilities to acquire wellness-related information both before and after Guide/Guía distribution and also had more assistance-seeking efficacy. Guide/Guía recipients were more knowledgeable, had greater confidence in their knowledge and their abilities to acquire information, and possessed better information acquisition strategies than nonrecipients. The publication also enhanced low-acculturated recipients' assistance-seeking self-efficacy. High-acculturated and low-acculturated recipients of the Guide/Guía were equally likely to have retained and used their copies, to anticipate using the publication in the future, and to have made a change in behavior as a result of the guide. Finally, the Guide/Guía did not increase the knowledge gap between high- and low-acculturated guide recipients.
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Affiliation(s)
- R A Bell
- Department of Communication, University of California, Davis 95616, USA.
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Alcalay R, Ghee A, Scrimshaw S. Designing prenatal care messages for low-income Mexican women. Public Health Rep 1993; 108:354-62. [PMID: 8497574 PMCID: PMC1403387] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Communication theories and research data were used to design cross-cultural health education messages. A University of California Los Angeles-Universidad Autonoma in Tijuana, Mexico, research team used the methods of ethnographic and survey research to study behaviors, attitudes, and knowledge concerning prenatal care of a sample of pregnant low-income women living in Tijuana. This audience provided information that served as a framework for a series of messages to increase awareness and change prenatal care behaviors. The message design process was guided by persuasion theories that included Petty and Caccioppo's elaboration likelihood model, McGuire's persuasion matrix, and Bandura's social learning theory. The results from the research showed that poor women in Tijuana tend to delay or not seek prenatal care. They were not aware of symptoms that could warn of pregnancy complications. Their responses also revealed pregnant women's culturally specific beliefs and behaviors regarding pregnancy. After examination of these and other results from the study, prenatal care messages about four topics were identified as the most relevant to communicate to this audience: health services use, the mother's weight gain, nutrition and anemia, and symptoms of high-risk complications during pregnancy. A poster, a calendar, a brochure, and two radio songs were produced and pretested in focus groups with low-income women in Tijuana. Each medium included one or more messages addressing informational, attitudinal, or behavioral needs, or all three, of the target population.
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Abstract
The Copper 7 and Lippes Loop IUD are no longer distributed in the United States, and the cost of the Progestasert precludes usage in many family planning clinics. The impact of the loss of this widely used contraceptive method was assessed in a pilot study at the UCLA Family Planning Clinic. The clients who would have selected an IUD at the time of their clinic visit between March and December of 1986 instead chose oral contraceptive pills (55%) or barrier methods (45%) but their level of dissatisfaction with the methods they received was significantly greater than that of all other contraceptors, and this led to their subsequent selection of another method which, in the majority (66%), was of lower efficacy than the IUD. There were two unplanned conceptions amongst twenty women who would have chosen an IUD, both due to non-compliance with oral contraceptive pills; and at the time of survey in March 1987, no clients had opted for sterilization. Women who no longer have their choice of the IUD represent a high risk for contraceptive dissatisfaction and failure, but have not made precipitous decisions to undergo permanent sterilization.
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Affiliation(s)
- A J Rapkin
- Dept. of Obstetrics and Gynecology, UCLA School of Medicine 90024
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Abstract
This article analyzes a series of health education projects that used the mass media to change behavior. First, the article describes how persuasion theories are used to maximize impact in mass communication campaigns. Second, this paper discusses theories of social psychology used in such campaigns. One such theory, cognitive dissonance, explains changes at the level of attitudes, beliefs and opinion. Another theory, social learning, defines strategies of behavior changes. A third theory, concerning diffusion of innovations, helps understand the network of interpersonal relationships essential for the adoption of any innovation. McGuire's inoculation theory suggests strategies to aid resistance to harmful environmental influences (e.g. smoking, excessive drinking, etc.). Third, this work reviews public health campaigns that have used one or more of these theories of social psychology. The first project, dealing with smoking behavior cessation and prevention, mainly used strategies of interpersonal communication for inoculating and modeling useful behavior in order to resist social pressures favorable to smoking. The second project, designed to prevent alcoholism, used the mass media primarily. The objective of this campaign was to obtain changes in knowledge, attitude and behavior in the public through modeling desirable behaviors over public service announcements. The third campaign, a heart disease prevention program, used a combination of mass media and interpersonal communication to achieve changes in lifestyle of the population. Finally, this article describes limitations in using mass media in behavior change health programs.
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Abstract
This paper examines the probable association between use of complex technologies in the work setting and psycho-social factors believed to impact upon human health. The analysis is set within two long-standing philosophical perspectives on technology, one which holds that technology controls human choice and action, and the other which sees technology as a useful tool for extending human capabilities. Research evidence linking technologies of work to health are reviewed. On the basis of this literature, the authors conclude that, in general, among blue collar and clerical workers, technology is often a controlling element, to the detriment of health; but among professionals and managers, technology can be an aid to work and may therefore facilitate positive health. Strategies are offered toward the prevention and detection of, and intervention into work environments which, through the use of high technology, may pose a threat to health.
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