UBC researchers discover ‘weak spot’ across major COVID-19 variants
August 18, 2022
Researchers at the University of British Columbia have discovered a key vulnerability across all major variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, including the recently emerged BA.1 and BA.2 Omicron subvariants.
The weakness can be targeted by neutralizing antibodies, potentially paving the way for treatments that would be universally effective across variants.
The findings, published today in Nature Communications, use cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM) to reveal the atomic-level structure of the vulnerable spot on the virus’ spike protein, known as an epitope. The paper further describes an antibody fragment called VH Ab6 that is able to attach to this site and neutralize each major variant.
- Research
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