Publications by authors named "F Benigni"

Porcine delta-coronavirus (PDCoV) spillovers were recently detected in febrile children, underscoring the recurrent zoonoses of divergent CoVs. To date, no vaccines or specific therapeutics are approved for use in humans against PDCoV. To prepare for possible future PDCoV epidemics, we isolated PDCoV spike (S)-directed monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) from humanized mice and found that two, designated PD33 and PD41, broadly neutralized a panel of PDCoV variants.

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Article Synopsis
  • - SARS-CoV-2 has evolved to evade current monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), emphasizing the need for more resilient treatments that can neutralize various viral strains.
  • - A new human mAb called VIR-7229 has shown the ability to effectively neutralize multiple variants of SARS-CoV-2 and other related viruses, due to its unique targeting of a critical viral region known as the receptor-binding motif (RBM).
  • - VIR-7229 demonstrates a high resistance to the emergence of virus escape mutants, making it a promising candidate for future therapies against evolving coronaviruses.
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Porcine deltacoronavirus (PDCoV) spillovers were recently detected in children with acute undifferentiated febrile illness, underscoring recurrent zoonoses of divergent coronaviruses. To date, no vaccines or specific therapeutics are approved for use in humans against PDCoV. To prepare for possible future PDCoV epidemics, we isolated human spike (S)-directed monoclonal antibodies from transgenic mice and found that two of them, designated PD33 and PD41, broadly neutralized a panel of PDCoV variants.

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Currently circulating SARS-CoV-2 variants have acquired convergent mutations at hot spots in the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. The effects of these mutations on viral infection and transmission and the efficacy of vaccines and therapies remains poorly understood. Here we demonstrate that recently emerged BQ.

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Article Synopsis
  • Chronic hepatitis B is a major global health issue, and co-infection with hepatitis delta virus (HDV) can worsen the disease; researchers are studying a monoclonal antibody (mAb) targeting hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen (HBsAg) for potential treatment.
  • The monoclonal antibodies were developed from memory B cells of vaccinated individuals and tested in human liver-chimeric mice to observe their effectiveness against HBV and HDV in various stages of infection.
  • The chosen mAb, VIR-3434, showed strong neutralization capabilities against multiple HBV genotypes, significantly reducing virus levels in treated mice and is now being considered for clinical trials in humans with chronic hepatitis B or D.
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