Abstract
Several sublineages of omicron have emerged with additional mutations that may afford further antibody evasion. Here, we characterise the sensitivity of emerging omicron sublineages BA.2.75.2, BA.4.6, and BA.2.10.4 to antibody-mediated neutralisation, and identify extensive escape by BA.2.75.2. BA.2.75.2 was resistant to neutralisation by Evusheld (tixagevimab + cilgavimab), but remained sensitive to bebtelovimab. In recent serum samples from blood donors in Stockholm, Sweden, BA.2.75.2 was neutralised, on average, at titers approximately 6.5-times lower than BA.5, making BA.2.75.2 the most neutralisation resistant variant evaluated to date. These data raise concerns that BA.2.75.2 may effectively evade humoral immunity in the population.
Competing Interest Statement
STR is a cofounder of and held shares in deepCDR Biologics, which has been acquired by Alloy Therapeutics. DJS, GBKH, and BM have intellectual property rights associated with antibodies that neutralise omicron variants. All other authors declare no competing interests.
Footnotes
The manuscript has been updated with data from additional sampling time points.