Neutralization epitope responsible for the hepatitis B virus subtype-specific protection in chimpanzees

Pei Zhang1, Mei-Ying W Yu, Richard Venable

  • 1Division of Hematology and Laboratory of Biophysics, Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, Food and Drug Administration, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA. pei.zhang@fda.hhs.gov

Summary

A hepatitis B virus (HBV) antibody (BX-182) specifically neutralizes HBV subtype "d" by targeting a critical epitope in the pre-S1 region. This subtype-specific protection highlights a potential HBV escape mechanism.