Alphaviruses include many different viruses (e.g., Chikungunya virus, Mayaro virus, and Eastern Equine Encephalitis) that are primarily spread by mosquitoes and can cause symptoms including fever, debilitating arthritis, and life-threatening encephalitis. No therapies have been approved against any alphavirus.

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases has awarded Jonathan R. Lai, Ph.D., a five-year, $5 million grant to develop human monoclonal antibody (mAb)-based therapies that would be effective against a broad spectrum of alphaviruses. After analyzing many mAbs from patients who were infected with but recovered from Chikungunya virus, Dr. Lai and colleagues have identified several that protected mice against musculoskeletal disease caused by Chikungunya and Mayaro virus, and two mAbs that protected also against encephalitis and lethal disease caused by other alphaviruses.

Building on those discoveries, the researchers will now develop new broadly effective alphavirus mAb therapies—an effort that will include engineering mutations into mAbs to boost their effectiveness. In studies involving mice and, later, non-human primate models of alphavirus diseases, the scientists will then determine which two-component mAb cocktail works best. The goal is to develop a mAb cocktail that will be effective against infections caused by many different alphaviruses.

Dr. Lai is professor of biochemistry and the Dan Danciger Professor of Biochemistry at Einstein and is a member of the National Cancer Institute-designated Montefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center. (1R01AI190004-01)