Invivyd Tracks SARS-CoV-2 Evolution, Prepares for Future Variants
Robert Allen, MD, on variant monitoring, antibody development, and the company's long-term approach to patient care.
Invivyd, Inc announced that its pipeline candidate, VYD2311, demonstrated promising neutralizing activity against the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant XEC. This result aligns with earlier findings for the variant KP.3.1.1, further supporting the effectiveness of Invivyd’s monoclonal antibodies, including PEMGARDA™ (pemivibart). Both antibodies are designed to provide long-term protection against SARS-CoV-2 despite viral mutations.
Invivyd has submitted its latest findings to the FDA and is expected to update the PEMGARDA Fact Sheet for Healthcare Providers soon. These findings reflect the company's commitment to ensuring its treatments remain effective against emerging variants.
In Part 2 of our interview with Robert Allen, MD, chief scientific officer at Invivyd, we discussed the ongoing challenges fromSARS-CoV-2 and the company's efforts to monitor the virus’s evolution. Allen explained how the virus has transitioned from a pandemic to an endemic phase, but still strains healthcare systems, “SARS-CoV-2 is unique in the sense that it’s caused a large number of infections, which we describe as a pandemic. It has since moved into a more endemic phase, but it still causes significant impact on the healthcare system. A large number of infections, hospitalizations, and even deaths are still attributable to SARS-CoV-2 infection.”
Allen emphasized the importance of ongoing clinical and wastewater sequencing, even though sequencing efforts have decreased since the peak of the pandemic, “While sequencing has diminished compared to its peak, it is still done in sufficient quantities to provide a clear picture of how things are changing. We can see how things are different from, say, five years ago.”
Invivyd continuously monitors the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants, updating their variant monitoring system on an hourly basis to track prevalent variants and anticipate potential changes.
“We’re able to monitor variants through a variant monitoring system that takes into account what’s happening right now. This involves frequent updates from wastewater and clinical sequencing data, which is collected on an ongoing basis. It’s an hourly effort, constantly tracking what’s happening, Allen said.
By leveraging global and domestic surveillance, Invivyd is also able to predict how SARS-CoV-2 might change in the future, “Our efforts are both domestic and global. We also look back at all sequences reported since sequencing began to understand how the virus has changed in the past. This helps us, to some degree, predict how the virus might change in the future.”
Invivyd’s focus on developing new antibodies like VYD2311, currently in Phase 1 trials, reflects the company’s long-term commitment to patient care and protection against emerging variants, “We’re committed to helping patients over the long haul. Our goal is to maximize the impact of all of our antibodies. The next antibody we’re working on is currently in the phase 1 clinical trial process, a follow-on to Pemgarda, called VYD2311.”
