Integral Molecular's Rapid SARS-CoV-2 Epitope Mapping Supports Regulatory Requirements for the Development of Therapeutic Antibodies Effective Against Viral Variants

PHILADELPHIA, June 11, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- At the forefront of the fight against COVID-19, Integral Molecular's rapid Epitope Mapping technology is being used to pinpoint precise binding sites of therapeutic SARS-CoV-2 antibodies under development and can help determine their effectiveness against emerging viral variants. These efforts are important in keeping pace with the ever-changing virus and the requirements of regulatory agencies such as the FDA in testing new therapeutics against the virus.

Using its Shotgun Mutagenesis Epitope Mapping technology, Integral Molecular identifies the specific amino acids bound by antibodies on all regions of the Spike protein, including the receptor binding domain (RBD), N-terminal domain (NTD) and S2 regions. In most cases, complex conformational epitopes can be mapped in 4 weeks. Integral Molecular can also assess an individual antibody's binding to Spike variants of greatest concern, including UK B.1.1.7 (Alpha), South African B.1.351 (Beta), Brazilian P.1 (Gamma), and Indian B.1.617.2 (Delta) variants.

"As emerging variants continue to devastate much of the world, it is important to remain vigilant with therapeutics that are effective against the evolving virus," said Edgar Davidson, PhD, Virologist at Integral Molecular. "We are proud to support scientists in their FDA filings, providing data quickly to better understand their antibodies' mechanisms of action and potential for viral resistance."

Epitopes mapped by Integral Molecular have been essential in studies examining how antibodies fight COVID-19. These include characterization of NTD-targeting antibodies that provided prophylactic or therapeutic protection in animals (Suryadevara et al., Cell, 2021), development of a cocktail of anti-RBD antibodies resistant to viral escape when used in combination (Ku et al., Nature Communications, 2021), and identification of commonly occurring antibodies in the population that target Spike regions including S2 (Chen et al., bioRxiv, 2021). In addition to epitope mapping, Integral Molecular offers pseudotyped SARS-CoV-2 reporter virus particles to test antibody neutralization against over 30 reference strains and emerging variants.

About Integral Molecular

Integral Molecular (www.integralmolecular.com) is the industry leader in discovering and characterizing therapeutic antibodies against membrane proteins, an important group of drug targets found on the surfaces of cells and viruses. Integral Molecular's technologies have been integrated into the drug discovery pipelines of over 400 biotech and pharmaceutical companies to help discover new therapies for cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disorders and viral threats such as SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, Zika, and dengue viruses.

Press Contact: 
Integral Molecular, Inc. 
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SOURCE Integral Molecular