NiV is a virulent RNA virus originating from bats, belonging to the genus Henipavirus in the family Paramyxoviridae. Currently, there is an urgent need to develop specific drugs for the prevention and treatment of Nipah virus. Recently, Gong Rui, a researcher at the Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, cooperated with the University of Science and Technology of China and others to develop an efficient human neutralizing antibody against Nipah virus. The related research results are titled Potential human neutralizing antibiotics against Nipah virus derived from two advanced antibiotics heavy chains and published in Nature Communications.

This study used phage display technology to screen and obtain two human neutralizing antibodies (NiV41 and NiV42) targeting NiV receptor binding protein (RBP). The study further enhanced antibody activity through affinity maturation and found that antibodies derived from NiV41 exhibited cross reactivity against NiV and its homologous virus Hendra virus, while antibodies derived from NiV42 specifically targeted NiV. Immunogenetic analysis of antibodies revealed a correlation between their maturity and antiviral activity. Furthermore, researchers conducted research using hamsters as infection models. The in vivo activity evaluation of antibodies showed that mature antibodies 41-6 derived from NiV41 can provide protection against NiV infected hamsters. The structure of the tetramer RBP and antibody complex obtained based on cryoelectron microscopy revealed that mature antibody 41-6 exerts a neutralizing effect by blocking receptor binding.

This study not only provides candidate antibodies for the prevention and treatment of Nipah virus, but also provides effective information for the development of more drugs and vaccines against Henipah virus.

The research work was supported by the national key research and development plan and the Chinese Academy of Sciences basic and cross frontier scientific research pilot projects.