Brandon DeKosky, Ph.D.

COVID-19 is caused by the respiratory virus SARS-CoV-2 and can result in acute lung injury and associated severe respiratory distress and death. Antibody drugs have strong potential to treat or prevent COVID-19. However, we currently have limited information on how antibodies can most effectively target the virus and reduce lung damage. We will apply our recently invented antibody display and screening technologies to gain a comprehensive understanding of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune protection. We will use this information to guide the development of new anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibody drugs, and search for critical clues for medical interventions that interrupt COVID-19 disease and ameliorate lung damage. This project will reveal insights related to the role of antibody-based protection against SARS-CoV-2 lung injury and help accelerate new medical interventions to suppress the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Update: Severe COVID-19 can result in acute lung injury and associated severe respiratory distress and death. We applied our recently invented antibody display and screening technologies to gain a comprehensive understanding of anti-SARS-CoV-2 immune protection in exposed individuals. We explored the features of protective antiviral protection against SARS-CoV-2 and discovered potently protective antibodies, and are applying new screening technologies to map antibody responses in patients who recovered from severe COVID-19. We anticipate the discovery of several more potent and broad antibody molecules in the coming year, particularly targeting newly emerged variants of concern of SARS-CoV-2.