Development of an actinium-225 radioimmunoconjugate for targeted alpha therapy against SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Targeted alpha therapy offers unique opportunities for the treatment of tumours and infections. Here, we report the development of a new radioimmunoconjugate construct that targets SARS-CoV-2 infected cells, which act as viral reservoirs and promote virus replication and infection spread. The chosen antibody selectively binds to the ACE2-receptor binding domain of the spike protein, and prevents the protein binding to the receptor. Furthermore, the antibody has been radiolabelled with ²²⁵Ac, and the therapeutic performance of the resulting radioimmunoconjugate has been demonstrated in vitro against cells mimicking SARS-CoV-2 infection.