The emergence of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOCs) has greatly diminished the neutralizing activity of previously FDA-approved monoclonal antibodies (mAbs), including that of antibody cocktails and of first-generation broadly neutralizing antibodies such as S309 (Sotrovimab). In contrast, antibodies targeting cryptic conformational epitopes of the receptor binding domain (RBD) have demonstrated broad activity against emerging variants, but exert only moderate neutralizing activity, which has so far hindered clinical development. Here, we utilize in vitro display technology to identify and affinity-mature antibodies targeting the cryptic class 6 epitope, accessible only in the "up" conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 spike trimer.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Approximately 10% of people with HIV in Australia had active hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection prior to availability of government-subsidized direct-acting antiviral (DAA) therapy in 2016. This analysis evaluated progress toward HCV elimination among people with HIV in Australia between 2014 and 2023.
Methods: The CEASE cohort study enrolled adults with HIV with past or current HCV infection (anti-HCV antibody positive) from 14 primary and tertiary clinics.
Cryptosporidiosis is a diarrheal disease caused by infection with spp. parasites and is a leading cause of death in malnourished children worldwide. The only approved treatment, nitazoxanide, has limited efficacy in this at-risk patient population.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe transcription factor SOX9 is integral to tissue homeostasis and is implicated in skeletal malformation, campomelic dysplasia, and osteoarthritis (OA). Despite extensive research, the complete regulatory landscape of SOX9 transcriptional activity, interconnected with signaling pathways (TGFβ, WNT, BMP, IHH, NFκB, and HIF), remains challenging to decipher. This study focuses on elucidating SOX9 signaling in OA pathology using Fluorescence Recovery After Photobleaching (FRAP) to assess SOX9 activity directly in live human primary chondrocytes (hPCs).
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