A Chinese team discovered the first efficient neutralizing monoclonal antibodies targeting the N-terminal domain of the spine protein, marking a major breakthrough in the study of novel coronavirus antibodies, according to Chinamil.com.
The team was led by Chen Wei, a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and a researcher at the Institute of Military Medicine of the Academy of Military Sciences. The results of the study were published online in the journal Science on June 22.
This is another class scientific achievement after the adenovirus vector recombinant coronavirus vaccine developed by Chen Wei's team has entered phase II clinical trials.
With the current global epidemic of novel coronavirus pneumonia, the development of safe and effective vaccines and antibodies is a major challenge for scientists around the world. .
Vaccines are used for prevention in healthy people, and neutralizing antibodies can be used to treat patients.
Neutralizing antibodies are a class of protective antibodies produced by the body in response to antigenic stimuli.
Currently, research teams around the world are focusing on the drug design and mechanism of action of novel coronavirus receptor-binding domain of the protein.
Chen Wei's team, on the other hand, discovered the N-terminal domain of the spiny dendritic protein by identifying a highly efficient neutralizing monoclonal antibody to the N-terminal domain of the protein is a new vulnerable epitope of the novel coronavirus spiny protein, which provides a new effective target for therapeutic antibody and other drug designs.
Structural diagram of the S protein and 4A8 antibody.
Chen Wei's team, in collaboration with Zhou Qiang's team at Westlake University, used cryoelectron microscopy to resolve the S protein and 4A8 antibody with high precision. The interaction interface between antibodies and brassinosteroid proteins provides key information for elucidating their antiviral mechanisms.
The antibodies exert high levels of viral neutralization when used alone, but can also be used in combination with antibodies against receptor-binding domains as highly effective "cocktail" therapy.
This provides a potent drug candidate for the treatment of novel coronavirus pneumonia, as well as new ideas for the research of drugs and epitopes that target the N-terminal domain of bradykinin.
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