Conversion of Host Cell Receptor into Virus Destructor by Immunodisc to Neutralize Diverse SARS‐CoV‐2 Variants

Abstract

The decreasing efficacy of antiviral drugs due to viral mutations highlights the challenge of developing a single agent that effectively target multiple viral strains. One promising approach to this problem is to use host cell viral receptors as competitive inhibitors, but the inherent low potency and membrane‐bound nature of viral receptors has frustrated this strategy despite its conceptual simplicity. In this study, we show that ACE2 anchored into a planar membrane patch can effectively neutralize all tested SARS‐CoV‐2 variants that emerged during the COVID‐19 pandemic. The ACE2‐incorporated membrane patch implemented using nanodiscs replicated the spike‐mediated membrane fusion process outside the host cell, resulting in virus lysis, extracellular RNA release and potent antiviral activity. While neutralizing antibodies became ineffective as the SARS‐CoV‐2 evolved to better penetrate host cells the ACE2‐incorporated nanodiscs became more potent, highlighting the advantages of using receptor‐incorporated nanodiscs for antiviral purposes. ACE2‐incorporated immunodisc, an Fc fusion nanodisc developed in this study, completely protected humanized mice infected with SARS‐CoV‐2 after prolonged retention in the airways. This study demonstrates that the incorporation of viral receptors into immunodisc transforms the entry gate into a potent virucide for all current and future variants, a concept that can be extended to different viruses.This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved