Retrained Generic Antibodies Can Recognize SARS-CoV-2

The dramatic impact which novel viruses can have on the human society could be mitigated without the need of vaccination if antibodies present within the population are retrained to recognize these viruses. With this idea in mind, a double-faced peptide-based boosters are computationally designed to allow recognition of SARS-CoV-2 by Hepatitis B antibodies. One booster face is made of ACE2-mimic peptides that can bind to the receptor binding domain (RBD) of SARS-CoV-2. The other booster face is composed of a Hepatitis B core-antigen, targeting the Hepatitis B antibody fragment. Molecular dynamics simulations revealed that the designed boosters have a highly specific and stable binding

both to RBD and the antibody fragment (AF). This approach can provide a cheap and efficient neutralization of emerging pathogens.