Identification of neutralizing antibodies against monkeypox virus using high-throughput sequencing of A35(+)H3L(+)B cells from patients with convalescent monkeypox

The global monkeypox virus (MPXV) outbreak in 2022 emphasizes the urgent need for effective and accessible new-generation vaccines and neutralizing antibodies. Herein, we identified MPXV-neutralizing antibodies using high-throughput single-cell RNA and V(D)J sequencing of antigen-sorted B cells from patients with convalescent monkeypox. IgG1-expressing B cells were obtained from 34 paired heavy- and light-chain B cell receptor sequences. Subsequently, three potent neutralizing antibodies, MV127, MV128, and MV129, were identified and reacted with the MPXV A35 protein. Among these, MV129, which has a half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 2.68μg/mL against authentic MPXV, was considered to be the putative candidates for MPXV neutralization in response to monkeypox disease.