Highlights of IMMUNOLOGY2026™ - Invited Program Recordings-Discovery and targeting of human B cell epitopes to counter emerging threats

Discovery and targeting of human B cell epitopes to counter emerging threats

Video Transcription

Video Summary

At the Aspire Awards Symposium, Dr. Camila Coelho presented her lab’s work on human B-cell epitopes against emerging orthopoxviruses, especially mpox. She explained that current vaccination and treatment options are limited: the original smallpox vaccine is no longer used, the newer MVA-based vaccine induces only modest antibody responses, and available antivirals are weak. Her team therefore studied antibody responses in mpox-convalescent and vaccinated people.<br /><br />They identified the viral protein A35 as a major target of protective antibodies. From single B cells of recovered patients, they cloned several potent monoclonal antibodies that bound A35 with high affinity. In mouse models, these antibodies protected against vaccinia and mpox infection, reducing viral spread and, in some cases, preventing death. Structural studies showed that the antibodies recognize the same conserved epitope on A35. Human sera from recovered mpox patients strongly competed with these antibodies, and higher levels of these antibodies correlated with better neutralization and milder disease.<br /><br />Coelho also showed that protection can be improved by combining antibodies against different envelope proteins, which prevented both death and weight loss in mice. Her lab is now testing these findings in primate and animal models, while exploring cross-reactivity across orthopoxvirus clades.

Keywords

mpox

orthopoxviruses

B-cell epitopes

A35 protein

monoclonal antibodies

vaccinia virus

protective antibodies