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Updated: Nov 23, 2025

Engineering Antiviral Agents via Surface Plasmon Resonance
Published on: June 14, 2022
Structural basis for broad coronavirus neutralization.
Maximilian M Sauer1, M Alexandra Tortorici1,2, Young-Jun Park1
1Department of Biochemistry, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington 98195, USA.
A new monoclonal antibody, B6, broadly neutralizes diverse beta-coronaviruses by targeting a conserved spike protein epitope. This discovery offers a promising strategy for developing next-generation pan-coronavirus vaccines.
Area of Science:
- Virology
- Immunology
- Structural Biology
Background:
- Three highly pathogenic beta-coronaviruses (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV-2) have caused significant human pandemics in recent decades.
- SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, has resulted in millions of infections and deaths globally.
Conclusions:
- B6 antibody provides a structural framework for understanding broad beta-coronavirus cross-reactivity.
- The findings support the potential for antibody-mediated broad coronavirus neutralization via vaccination.
- An unexpected conserved epitope has been identified as a target for structure-guided design of a pan-coronavirus vaccine.
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