Clonal Wars: Monoclonal Antibodies Against Infectious Pathogens

Monoclonal antibodies are coming of age as powerful tools for the prevention of infectious diseases. In recent years, the rate of antibody discovery has accelerated, and the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has shone a spotlight on the role of these antibodies in combating pathogens. However, questions remain about the utility of monoclonal antibodies, especially when effective vaccines are also available. In this article, I discuss the role of monoclonal antibodies and briefly describe the effort to identify potent human monoclonal antibodies against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), including our study on bispecific antibodies that neutralize SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.