Fragment-based computational design of antibodies targeting structured epitopes.

ABSTRACT: De novo design methods hold the promise of reducing the time and cost of antibody discovery while enabling the facile and precise targeting of predetermined epitopes. Here, we describe a fragment-based method for the combinatorial design of antibody binding loops and their grafting onto antibody scaffolds. We designed and tested six single-domain antibodies targeting different epitopes on three antigens, including the receptor-binding domain of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Biophysical characterization showed that all designs are stable and bind their intended targets with affinities in the nanomolar range without in vitro affinity maturation. We further discuss how a high-resolution input antigen structure is not required, as similar predictions are obtained when the input is a crystal st

SUBMITTER: Aguilar Rangel M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9651861 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature