US Patent 8685402 Neutralizing anti-influenza A virus antibodies and uses thereof

The invention relates to antibodies and antigen binding fragments thereof, that bind to hemagglutinin and neutralize infection of at least two different group 1 subtypes or at least two different group 2 subtypes of influenza A virus. The invention also relates to nucleic acids that encode, immortalized B cells and cultured single plasma cells that produce, and to epitopes that bind to, such antibodies and antibody fragments. In addition, the invention relates to the use of the antibodies, antibody fragments, and epitopes in screening methods as well as in the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of influenza A virus infection.