A panel of experimental monoclonal antibodies (mAb) targeted at different sites of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) blocked the infection when tested on human cells in the laboratory. Additionally, one of the experimental mAbs provided nearly complete protection against EBV infection and lymphoma when tested in mice. The results appear online today in the diary Immunity. Scientists from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health, along with researchers from the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, led the study.
EBV is one of the most common human viruses. After an EBV infection, the virus goes dormant in the body but can reactivate in some cases. It is the main cause of infectious mononucleosis and is associated with some cancers, including Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and autoimmune diseases, such as multiple sclerosis. People with compromised immune systems, such as transplant recipients, are more likely than immunocompetent people to develop severe symptoms and complications from EBV infection. There is no licensed vaccine for virus protection.
Researchers have developed several experimental mAbs targeting two key proteins – gH and gL – found on the surface of EBV. Both proteins are known to facilitate the fusion of EBV with human cells and cause infections. When tested in the laboratory, the experimental mAbs prevented EBV infection of human B lymphocytes and epithelial cells, which line the throat at the initial site of EBV infection. By analyzing the structure of the mAbs and their two surface proteins using X-ray crystallography and advanced microscopy, the researchers identified several vulnerability sites on the virus to be targeted. When tested in mice, one of the experimental mAbs, called mAb 769B10, provided nearly complete protection against EBV infection when administered. The mAb also protected all mice tested for EBV lymphoma.
According to the researchers, the findings highlight vital EBV vaccine targets and the potential for the use of experimental mAbs alone or in combination to prevent or treat EBV infection in immunocompromised patients more susceptible to severe EBV-related disease. Further research with mAb 769B10 is expected, the authors note.
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