Publications by authors named "M A Tortorici"
Article Synopsis
- MERS-CoV is a serious virus with a 36% death rate in humans, and there's currently no vaccine or treatment approved for use in humans or camels.
- Researchers developed special miniproteins that effectively bind to and neutralize various forms of the MERS-CoV spike protein, which is crucial for the virus's ability to infect cells.
- Testing in mice showed that administering one of these miniproteins intranasally can protect against MERS-CoV infection, suggesting potential for further clinical development as a new preventive measure against this virus.
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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- - 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.
DPP4 was considered a canonical receptor for merbecoviruses until the recent discovery of African bat-borne MERS-related coronaviruses using ACE2. The extent and diversity with which merbecoviruses engage ACE2 and their receptor species tropism remain unknown. Here, we reveal that HKU5 enters host cells utilizing (P.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDysregulation of the mineralocorticoid hormone aldosterone is an increasingly prevalent cause of hypertension. Aldosterone synthase (CYP11B2) shares 93% homology to 11β-hydroxylase (CYP11B1), which produces cortisol. Lorundrostat, a highly selective inhibitor of CYP11B2, is a potential safe and effective treatment for aldosterone-dependent, uncontrolled hypertension, including treatment-resistant hypertension.
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