Abstract

Marburg virus (MARV) and Ravn virus (RAVV) are highly pathogenic filoviruses that cause Marburg virus disease (MVD), for which no approved treatment currently exists. In this study, we describe a panel of 10 novel mouse-derived monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), all exhibiting neutralizing activity against MARV. Notably, five of these mAbs also cross-neutralize RAVV. Based on amino acid sequences, neutralization profiles, and escape mutations in the MARV glycoprotein (GP), the mAbs were classified into three groups. mAbs targeting the receptor-binding domain (RBD) and mucin-like domain exhibited MARV-specific neutralization, whereas those targeting epitopes spanning the RBD and internal fusion loop exhibited cross-neutralization. Post-exposure administration of cross-neutralizing mAbs (AGP-R7, AGP-R12) provided significant protection in MARV and RAVV infection mouse models. These findings identify a conserved neutralizing epitope with therapeutic potential and highlight AGP-R7 and AGP-R12 as promising candidates for MVD treatment. This study offers new insights into cross-reactive antibody strategies against multiple filoviruses.

Credit: Saito, T., Miyamoto, H., Igarashi, M. et al. npj Viruses 3, 84 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44298-025-00168-z. © The Author(s) 2025. Licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.