Quantitative Immunological Assays to Assess Coronavirus Antibodies and Vaccines

National Institute Of Allergy And Infectious Diseases

Investigators

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Abstract

Neutralizing antibodies are an important component of protective immune responses to viruses, including coronaviruses. The quantitative and reproducible measure of neutralizing antibody activity provides important insights into the natural history of virus infections, the identification of immune surrogates of protection, and the evaluation of vaccine candidates. Scientists in the Virology Core of the Vaccine Research Center have developed high-throughput, quantitative, and reproducible assays to measure the neutralization activities of monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), convalescent sera, and vaccine-induced serum samples using a coronavirus pseudoviruses. This research assay is now well established; Standard Operating Procedures detailing how it is performed have been distributed widely. Since its emergence, SARS-CoV-2 variants have appeared with decreased sensitivity to neutralization by antibodies elicited by viruses circulating earlier in the pandemic. Scientists in the Core continue to generate pseudoviruses corresponding to emerging coronavirus strains. These assays are routinely used by laboratory staff to evaluate vaccine-elicited immune responses in animal models and humans.