Preparation And Identification Of Binding Sites Of Monoclonal Antibodies Against SARS-CoV Spike Protein

Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a newly emerged infectious disease caused by SARS-associated coronavirus (SARS-CoV). It originated in the Guangdong province of China in late 2002, spread rapidly around the world along international air-travel routes, and resulted in 8,450 cases and 810 deaths in 33 countries and areas on 5 continents. The global outbreak of SARS seriously threatened public health and socioeconomic stability worldwide. Although this outbreak was eventually brought under control in 2003, several isolated outbreaks of SARS subsequently occurred because of accidental releases of the SARS-CoV isolates from laboratories. In late 2003 and early 2004, new infections in persons who had contact with animals infected with SARS-CoV strains significantly different from those predominating in the 2002–2003 outbreak were reported in Guangdong, China. These events indicate that a SARS epidemic may recur at any time in the future, either by the virus escaping from laboratory samples or by SARS-CoV isolates evolving from SARS-CoV–like virus in animal hosts. Therefore, development of effective and safe vaccines is urgently needed to prevent a new SARS epidemic and for biodefense preparedness.Since clinical data have demonstrated that convalescent-phase sera from SARS patients were effective in the treatment of severe SARS patients, antibodies against SARS-CoV are thought to play important roles in the development of specific therapeutic. Although monoclonal antibodies from mouse can not be used in patients directly during SARS outbreak, it would be very useful in diagnosis and other relevant researches. Accurate and timely diagnosis of SARS is one of the critical steps for control of this disease. Reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) has been used as rapid diagnostic test in most of the research centers during the last epidemic. However, the RT-PCR relies heavily on experienced technicians and specialized laboratory equipment, and sometimes provides false-positive results due to contamination. Because the median time to seroconversion in SARS patients is 17-20 days after the onset of symptoms,...