Fred Hutch Antibody Fully Blocks EBV in Mice
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- Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center researchers created monoclonal antibodies targeting two EBV entry proteins — gp350 and gp42 — with one gp42 antibody completely preventing infection in mice with human-like immune systems, per findings in Cell Reports Medicine
- The team used mice engineered with human antibody genes to overcome a long-standing hurdle, identifying two antibodies against gp350 and eight against gp42 without triggering immune reactions against the therapy itself
- Andrew McGuire, PhD, a biochemist in Fred Hutch's Vaccine and Infectious Disease Division, said finding human antibodies against EBV has been "particularly challenging" because the virus binds to nearly all B cells
- More than 128,000 people in the U.S. receive solid organ or bone marrow transplants each year, and EBV reactivation in those patients can cause post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD), a serious and sometimes fatal lymphoma
- Fred Hutch has filed intellectual property claims on the antibodies; McGuire and PhD student Crystal Chhan are now working with an industry partner toward safety testing in healthy adults and eventual trials in at-risk patients
Why it matters: The 128,000-plus Americans who receive transplants annually currently have no targeted therapy to prevent EBV reactivation, which drives post-transplant lymphomas and often forces clinicians to weaken immunosuppression at the cost of graft function. A preventive antibody infusion could fill that specific unmet need in transplant medicine. Fred Hutch's industry partnership and IP filing indicate the discovery is moving toward human testing.
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