Publications by authors named "T J STARR"
Article Synopsis
- Ventriculitis in critically ill neurocritical care patients increases the risk of complications and death, prompting a need for improved antibiotic dosing strategies.
- The study aimed to create a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model for piperacillin-tazobactam (PTZ) by analyzing samples from neurosurgical patients to determine effective dosing for cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) treatment.
- Results showed significant inter-individual variability in drug penetration into CSF, making it difficult to recommend optimal dosing regimens despite some patients achieving high plasma drug levels.
OmpA controls order in the outer membrane and shares the mechanical load.
Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A
December 2024
Article Synopsis
- OmpA is an important outer membrane protein that influences bacterial virulence, adhesion, and membrane integrity, but its exact role has been unclear for over 50 years.
- This study reveals that OmpA plays a key role in organizing the outer membrane protein structure and connects it to the cell wall, helping to maintain the bacteria's protective barrier.
- The research shows that both parts of OmpA—its β-barrel domain and cell wall-binding domain—are essential for strengthening the bacterial envelope, making it more resilient and crucial for bacterial survival.
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.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe recurring spillover of pathogenic coronaviruses and demonstrated capacity of sarbecoviruses, such SARS-CoV-2, to rapidly evolve in humans underscores the need to better understand immune responses to this virus family. For this purpose, we characterized the functional breadth and potency of antibodies targeting the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the spike glycoprotein that exhibited cross-reactivity against SARS-CoV-2 variants, SARS-CoV-1 and sarbecoviruses from diverse clades and animal origins with spillover potential. One neutralizing antibody, C68.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle 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.