The study was conducted in collaboration between researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada – led by Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, professor in the School of Medicine – and the University of Pittsburgh, USA – led by Dr. Mitko Dimitrov and Wei Li. Published as a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Communications. The study used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-level structure of the vulnerable spot in the virus’ spike protein, known as an epitope. This powerful imaging technology uses electron beams to visualize the shapes of tissues and cells using cryo techniques. Since the Covid-19 virus is 100,000 times smaller than the size of a pinhead, it is undetectable using a normal light microscope. Antibodies attach to a virus in a specific way, “like a key going into a lock,” according to Subramaniam, who did his MSc in Chemistry from IIT-Kanpur. However, when the virus mutates, the key no longer fits. “We were looking for major keys – antibodies that continue to neutralize the virus even after extensive mutations,” he added. “The ‘master key’ identified in this new paper is the VH Ab6 antibody fragment, which was shown to be effective against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron variants. The fragment neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by attaching to the spike protein epitope and preventing the virus from entering human cells,” explained a statement from the University of British Columbia. “This study reveals a weak point that is largely invariant across variants and can be neutralized by an antibody fragment. It sets the stage for designing pan-variant therapies that could potentially help many vulnerable people,” said Subramaniam, who is also the study’s senior author. He said this key vulnerability can now be exploited by drug makers, and as the site is relatively free of mutations, the resulting treatments could be effective against existing – and even future – variants. “We now have a very clear picture of this vulnerability in the virus. We know every interaction of the spike protein with the antibody at this point. We can work backwards from that, using smart design, to develop a range of antibody therapies,” he said. “Now that we’ve described the structure of this site in detail, it unlocks a whole new realm of treatment possibilities,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
title: “Scientists Discover Weak Point In Major Variants Of Covid 19 Global News Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-10” author: “James Woolford”
The study was conducted in collaboration between researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada – led by Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, professor in the School of Medicine – and the University of Pittsburgh, USA – led by Dr. Mitko Dimitrov and Wei Li. Published as a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Communications. The study used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-level structure of the vulnerable spot in the virus’ spike protein, known as an epitope. This powerful imaging technology uses electron beams to visualize the shapes of tissues and cells using cryo techniques. Since the Covid-19 virus is 100,000 times smaller than the size of a pinhead, it is undetectable using a normal light microscope. Antibodies attach to a virus in a specific way, “like a key going into a lock,” according to Subramaniam, who did his MSc in Chemistry from IIT-Kanpur. However, when the virus mutates, the key no longer fits. “We were looking for major keys – antibodies that continue to neutralize the virus even after extensive mutations,” he added. “The ‘master key’ identified in this new paper is the VH Ab6 antibody fragment, which was shown to be effective against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron variants. The fragment neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by attaching to the spike protein epitope and preventing the virus from entering human cells,” explained a statement from the University of British Columbia. “This study reveals a weak point that is largely invariant across variants and can be neutralized by an antibody fragment. It sets the stage for designing pan-variant therapies that could potentially help many vulnerable people,” said Subramaniam, who is also the study’s senior author. He said this key vulnerability can now be exploited by drug makers, and as the site is relatively free of mutations, the resulting treatments could be effective against existing – and even future – variants. “We now have a very clear picture of this vulnerability in the virus. We know every interaction of the spike protein with the antibody at this point. We can work backwards from that, using smart design, to develop a range of antibody therapies,” he said. “Now that we’ve described the structure of this site in detail, it unlocks a whole new realm of treatment possibilities,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
title: “Scientists Discover Weak Point In Major Variants Of Covid 19 Global News Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-12-05” author: “Kevin Cheek”
The study was conducted in collaboration between researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada – led by Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, professor in the School of Medicine – and the University of Pittsburgh, USA – led by Dr. Mitko Dimitrov and Wei Li. Published as a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Communications. The study used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-level structure of the vulnerable spot in the virus’ spike protein, known as an epitope. This powerful imaging technology uses electron beams to visualize the shapes of tissues and cells using cryo techniques. Since the Covid-19 virus is 100,000 times smaller than the size of a pinhead, it is undetectable using a normal light microscope. Antibodies attach to a virus in a specific way, “like a key going into a lock,” according to Subramaniam, who did his MSc in Chemistry from IIT-Kanpur. However, when the virus mutates, the key no longer fits. “We were looking for major keys – antibodies that continue to neutralize the virus even after extensive mutations,” he added. “The ‘master key’ identified in this new paper is the VH Ab6 antibody fragment, which was shown to be effective against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron variants. The fragment neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by attaching to the spike protein epitope and preventing the virus from entering human cells,” explained a statement from the University of British Columbia. “This study reveals a weak point that is largely invariant across variants and can be neutralized by an antibody fragment. It sets the stage for designing pan-variant therapies that could potentially help many vulnerable people,” said Subramaniam, who is also the study’s senior author. He said this key vulnerability can now be exploited by drug makers, and as the site is relatively free of mutations, the resulting treatments could be effective against existing – and even future – variants. “We now have a very clear picture of this vulnerability in the virus. We know every interaction of the spike protein with the antibody at this point. We can work backwards from that, using smart design, to develop a range of antibody therapies,” he said. “Now that we’ve described the structure of this site in detail, it unlocks a whole new realm of treatment possibilities,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
title: “Scientists Discover Weak Point In Major Variants Of Covid 19 Global News Klmat” ShowToc: true date: “2022-11-16” author: “James Witt”
The study was conducted in collaboration between researchers at the University of British Columbia, Canada – led by Dr. Sriram Subramaniam, professor in the School of Medicine – and the University of Pittsburgh, USA – led by Dr. Mitko Dimitrov and Wei Li. Published as a peer-reviewed article in the journal Nature Communications. The study used cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-level structure of the vulnerable spot in the virus’ spike protein, known as an epitope. This powerful imaging technology uses electron beams to visualize the shapes of tissues and cells using cryo techniques. Since the Covid-19 virus is 100,000 times smaller than the size of a pinhead, it is undetectable using a normal light microscope. Antibodies attach to a virus in a specific way, “like a key going into a lock,” according to Subramaniam, who did his MSc in Chemistry from IIT-Kanpur. However, when the virus mutates, the key no longer fits. “We were looking for major keys – antibodies that continue to neutralize the virus even after extensive mutations,” he added. “The ‘master key’ identified in this new paper is the VH Ab6 antibody fragment, which was shown to be effective against the Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Kappa, Epsilon and Omicron variants. The fragment neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 by attaching to the spike protein epitope and preventing the virus from entering human cells,” explained a statement from the University of British Columbia. “This study reveals a weak point that is largely invariant across variants and can be neutralized by an antibody fragment. It sets the stage for designing pan-variant therapies that could potentially help many vulnerable people,” said Subramaniam, who is also the study’s senior author. He said this key vulnerability can now be exploited by drug makers, and as the site is relatively free of mutations, the resulting treatments could be effective against existing – and even future – variants. “We now have a very clear picture of this vulnerability in the virus. We know every interaction of the spike protein with the antibody at this point. We can work backwards from that, using smart design, to develop a range of antibody therapies,” he said. “Now that we’ve described the structure of this site in detail, it unlocks a whole new realm of treatment possibilities,” he said.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
Anirudh Bhattacharya is a Toronto-based commentator on North American affairs and author. He has also worked as a journalist in New Delhi and New York in print, television and digital media. He tweets as @anirudhb. …See details
