Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40361217›Full record

ArticleTropical medicine and health2025

Development of monoclonal antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid protein for COVID-19 antigen detection.

Maurine Mumo Mutua, Bernard N Kanoi, Steven Ger Nyanjom, Sebastian Musundi, Mark Makau, Shingo Inoue, Samoel Ashimosi Khamadi, Jesse Gitaka, Ernest Apondi Wandera

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Tropical medicine and health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors.

Maurine Mumo MutuaDepartment of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
Bernard N KanoiCentre for Research in Infectious Diseases, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University, P.O. Box 342-01000, Thika, Kenya.
Steven Ger NyanjomDepartment of Biochemistry, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Nairobi, Kenya.
Sebastian MusundiCentre for Research in Infectious Diseases, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University, P.O. Box 342-01000, Thika, Kenya.
Mark MakauCentre for Research in Infectious Diseases, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University, P.O. Box 342-01000, Thika, Kenya.
Shingo InoueInstitute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University-KEMRI, Nairobi, Kenya.
Samoel Ashimosi KhamadiCentre for Virus Research, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Nairobi, Kenya.
Jesse GitakaCentre for Research in Infectious Diseases, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University, P.O. Box 342-01000, Thika, Kenya.
Ernest Apondi WanderaCentre for Research in Infectious Diseases, Directorate of Research and Innovation, Mount Kenya University, P.O. Box 342-01000, Thika, Kenya. wandesh2000@yahoo.com.

Funding

European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership TMA2020CDF-3212
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic underscored the global need for reliable diagnostic tools with quick turnaround time for effective patient management and mitigation of virus spread. This study aimed to express severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) nucleocapsid protein and produce monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) against the expressed protein.

methodsFollowing successful expression and purification of His-tagged SARS-CoV-2 N protein using a wheat germ cell-free protein expression system (WGCFS), BALB/c mice were immunized, and generated hybridomas screened for mAb production. Indirect and sandwich ELISA were used to screen the reactivity of the monoclonal antibody against both our recombinant antigen and commercial antigen. The mAbs were also assessed for their performance using RT-PCR confirmed positive samples with varying cycle threshold (CT) values and their specificity screened using virus isolates of other respiratory viruses.

resultsOur mAb demonstrated high reactivity against our recombinant antigen, commercial antigen, SARS-CoV-2 Beta and Omicron variants. There was no significant difference in the binding affinity of our mAb and commercial mAb against the study recombinant (p = 0.12) and commercial (p = 0.072) antigens. Our mAb detected SARS-CoV-2 from clinical samples with varying CT values and exhibited no cross-reactivity against other respiratory viruses.

conclusionsWe successfully expressed SARS-CoV-2 N protein leveraging WGCFS in a resource-limited setting. Our mAb had a high binding affinity to the recombinant antigen, making it a suitable candidate for antigen detection kit development. Beyond diagnostics, the mAb holds potential for therapeutic applications as well as use in clinical and environmental surveillance platforms.

Indexed as

COVID-19DiagnosticsMonoclonal antibodiesQueryNucleocapsid proteinSARS-CoV-2

Identifiers

PMID40361217
PMCPMC12070761

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.