The SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies, Their Diagnostic Utility, and Their Potential for Vaccine Development

Khalid Hajissa; Ali Mussa; Mohmed Isaqali Karobari; Muhammad Adamu Abbas; Ibrahim Khider Ibrahim; Ali A Assiry; Azhar Iqbal; Saad Alhumaid; Abbas Al Mutair; Ali A Rabaan; Pietro Messina; Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina

doi:10.3390/vaccines10081346

The SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies, Their Diagnostic Utility, and Their Potential for Vaccine Development

Vaccines (Basel). 2022 Aug 18;10(8):1346. doi: 10.3390/vaccines10081346.

Authors

Khalid Hajissa^{1

2}, Ali Mussa^{3

4}, Mohmed Isaqali Karobari^{5

6

7}, Muhammad Adamu Abbas⁸, Ibrahim Khider Ibrahim⁹, Ali A Assiry¹⁰, Azhar Iqbal¹¹, Saad Alhumaid¹², Abbas Al Mutair^{13

14

15

16}, Ali A Rabaan^{17

18

19}, Pietro Messina²⁰, Giuseppe Alessandro Scardina²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Microbiology & Parasitology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
² Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science and Technology, Omdurman Islamic University, Omdurman P.O. Box 382, Sudan.
³ Department of Haematology, School of Medical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
⁴ Department of Biology, Faculty of Education, Omdurman Islamic University, Omdurman P.O. Box 382, Sudan.
⁵ Conservative Dentistry Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Health Campus, Kubang Kerian, Kota Bharu 16150, Kelantan, Malaysia.
⁶ Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontics, Saveetha Dental College & Hospitals, Saveetha Institute of Medical and Technical Sciences University, Chennai 600077, Tamil Nadu, India.
⁷ Department of Restorative Dentistry & Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Puthisastra, Phnom Penh 12211, Cambodia.
⁸ Department of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, College of Health Sciences, Bayero University Kano, Kano 3011, Nigeria.
⁹ Department of Haematology, Faculty of Medical Laboratory Sciences, Al Neelain University, Khartoum 11111, Sudan.
¹⁰ Preventive Dental Science Department, Faculty of Dentistry, Najran University, Najran 55461, Saudi Arabia.
¹¹ Department of Restorative Dentistry, College of Dentistry, Jouf University, Sakaka 72345, Saudi Arabia.
¹² Administration of Pharmaceutical Care, Al-Ahsa Health Cluster, Ministry of Health, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.
¹³ Research Center, Almoosa Specialist Hospital, Al-Ahsa 36342, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁴ College of Nursing, Princess Norah Bint Abdulrahman University, Riyadh 11564, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁵ School of Nursing, Wollongong University, Wollongong, NSW 2522, Australia.
¹⁶ Nursing Department, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dhahran 33048, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁷ Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory, Johns Hopkins Aramco Healthcare, Dhahran 31311, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁸ College of Medicine, Alfaisal University, Riyadh 11533, Saudi Arabia.
¹⁹ Department of Public Health and Nutrition, The University of Haripur, Haripur 22610, Pakistan.
²⁰ Department of Surgical, Oncological and Stomatological Disciplines, University of Palermo, 90133 Palermo, Italy.

Abstract

Antibodies (Abs) are important immune mediators and powerful diagnostic markers in a wide range of infectious diseases. Understanding the humoral immunity or the development of effective antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 is a prerequisite for limiting disease burden in the community and aids in the development of new diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccination options. Accordingly, the role of antiviral antibodies in the resistance to and diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection was explored. Antibody testing showed the potential in adding important diagnostic value to the routine diagnosis and clinical management of COVID-19. They could also play a critical role in COVID-19 surveillance, allowing for a better understanding of the full scope of the disease. The development of several vaccines and the success of passive immunotherapy suggest that anti-SARS-CoV-2 antibodies have the potential to be used in the treatment and prevention of SARS-CoV-2 infection. In this review, we highlight the role of antibodies in the diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and provide an update on their protective roles in controlling SARS-CoV-2 infection as well as vaccine development.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; antibodies; immunotherapy; serodiagnostic; testing; vaccine.

Publication types

Review

Grants and funding

The APC was funded by the Research Creativity and Management (RCMO), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), and the School of Medical Sciences, USM.