Biochemistry
Using flow cytometry to analyze ADG-2 neutralization potential against Omicron B.1.1.529
Spencer Goh
Biochemistry
Spencer Goh
One in 4 US residents have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, a virus which produced around 990k deaths due to the disease it causes, Covid-19. The severity of a Covid-19 infection can be mitigated when treated with monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). When mAbs bind to spike proteins located on the outside of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, its ability to infect human cells is neutralized. Unfortunately, among the many existing coronaviruses, each mAb can only treat a single strain. To address this issue, scientists have created a broadly neutralizing antibody (bnAb) named ADG-2 which can neutralize multiple coronavirus strains. While ADG-2 has the theoretical ability to neutralize all SARS-CoV-2 variants, it has not been tested against the variant Omicron B.1.1.529. ADG-2’s ability to neutralize Omicron B.1.1.529 positively correlates with its ability to bind to spike proteins and a flow cytometry machine can then measure ADG-2’s binding affinity to Omicron if the virus is tagged with a fluorescent protein. Therefore, if we know how well ADG-2 binds to Omicron, we know how well it will neutralize Omicron. Specifically, Nano-Luciferase, a type of fluorescent protein, will be embedded within the Omicron virus in order to enable fluorescent flow cytometry. Fluorescently tagged Omicron and ADG-2 will be mixed together in a solution and fed through a flow cytometry machine to measure binding affinity. The flow cytometry machine detects the fluorescent proteins and counts how many antibodies are bound to Omicron. High binding affinity indicates high neutralization and the reverse is true for low binding affinity. It is predicted that ADG-2 will effectively neutralize Omicron B.1.1.529 because it binds to a site which rarely changes in mutations. This research will determine if ADG-2 can be used to effectively treat Omicron, therefore determining if it is worthwhile to produce. Additionally, choosing the correct treatment for Omicron will save thousands of lives.