An Overview of the Conventional and Novel Methods Employed for SARS-CoV-2 Neutralizing Antibody Measurement

Viruses. 2023 Jul 5;15(7):1504. doi: 10.3390/v15071504.

Abstract

SARS-CoV-2 is the etiological agent of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) and is responsible for the pandemic that started in 2020. The virus enters the host cell through the interaction of its spike glycoprotein with the angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2) on the host cell's surface. Antibodies present an important role during the infection and pathogenesis due to many reasons, including the neutralization of viruses by binding to different spike epitopes. Therefore, measuring the neutralizing antibody titers in the whole population is important for COVID-19's epidemiology. Different methods are described in the literature, and some have been used to validate the main vaccines used worldwide. In this review, we discuss the main methods used to quantify neutralizing antibody titers, their advantages and limitations, as well as new approaches to determineACE2/spike blockage by antibodies.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; neutralization test; neutralizing antibodies.

Publication types

  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • COVID-19*
  • Humans
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A / metabolism
  • SARS-CoV-2*
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus

Substances

  • Antibodies, Neutralizing
  • Antibodies, Viral
  • Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
  • Spike Glycoprotein, Coronavirus
  • spike protein, SARS-CoV-2

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the National Research and Development Council (Grant Number: 424911/2021-3) and the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation of the Federal Govern.