Novel strategy redirects generic antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins
The SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the current pandemic, infects humans by binding its surface-exposed spike proteins to ACE2 receptors exposed on the cell membranes.
Upon a vaccination or a real infection, it takes several weeks before the immunity develops antibodies that can selectively bind to these spike proteins. Such antibody-labeled viruses are neutralized by the natural killer and T cells operated by the human immunity.
An alternative approach to train the immunity response is offered by researchers at the University of Illinois Chicago and California State University at Sacramento who have developed a novel strategy that redirects antibodies for other diseases existing in humans to the spike proteins of SARS-CoV-2.
E-Mail
IMAGE: Double-faced peptide-based boosters are computationally designed to allow recognition of SARS-CoV-2 (grey, schematic) by Hepatitis B antibodies. One booster face made of ACE2-mimic peptides (red) can bind to the receptor. view more
Credit: UIC
The SARS-CoV-2, the new coronavirus behind the current pandemic, infects humans by binding its surface-exposed spike proteins to ACE2 receptors exposed on the cell membranes.
Upon a vaccination or a real infection, it takes several weeks before the immunity develops antibodies that can selectively bind to these spike proteins. Such antibody-labeled viruses are neutralized by the natural killer and T cells operated by the human immunity.
Credit: DICP
Studying the creation and evolution of sulfur-containing compounds in outer space is essential for understanding interstellar chemistry. CS2 is believed to be the most important molecule in comet nuclei, interstellar dust, or ice cores. CS and S2 are the photodissociation fragments of CS2.
Forty years ago, the emission spectra of only CS and S2 species, and not those of CS2 species, were observed from several comets by the International Ultraviolet Explorer satellite. The photodissociation mechanism of CS2 molecules remains unclear, and S2 fragments have not been experimentally observed before.
Recently, a team led by Prof. YUAN Kaijun from the Dalian Institute of Chemical Physics (DICP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), in cooperation with Prof. WANG Xing an s group from the University of Science and Technology of China, observed the C+S2 product channel from CS2 photodissociation for the first time using a home-made Time-Sliced Velocity Map Ion Imaging (TS-V
Sponsored by MerckJan 21 2021
Fortuitously discovered by Japanese physicist Sumio Iijima while he was studying the surface of graphite electrodes in an electric arc discharge, Carbon nanotubes (CNTs), simply known as nanotubes, are cylindrical carbon allotrope nanostructures.
1 Since Iijima’s revelation, CNTs have retained a key role in the field of nanotechnology due to their particular electronic, mechanical, and structural properties.
CNTs possess great conductivity and high aspect ratio which enables the formation of a network of conductive tubes. Their exceptional mechanical properties derive from an amalgamation of strength, stiffness and tenacity.
4 Integrated into a polymer, CNTs shift their mechanical load to the polymer matrix at a weight percentage significantly lower than those of carbon black or carbon fibers, promoting applications with greater efficiency.