The structure of the C-terminal domain of the nucleoprotein from the Bundibugyo strain of the Ebola virus in complex with a pan-specific synthetic Fab.

The vast majority of platforms for the detection of viral or bacterial antigens rely on immunoassays, typically ELISA or sandwich ELISA, that are contingent on the availability of suitable monoclonal antibodies (mAbs). This is a major bottleneck, since the generation and production of mAbs is time-consuming and expensive. Synthetic antibody fragments (sFabs) generated by phage-display selection offer an alternative with many advantages over Fabs obtained from natural antibodies using hybridoma technology.