K. Niazi

Rapid Identification of Neutralizing Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 Variants by mRNA Display

This study uses mRNA display to identify and engineer neutralizing antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 variants, revealing binding modes and demonstrating their effectiveness against mutations in the spike protein.

CRTC2 regulates plasma cell metabolism and survival

This study shows that CRTC2 repression is essential for plasma cell metabolism and survival, affecting antibody production and immune response durability.

The Dual-Antigen Ad5 COVID-19 Vaccine Delivered as an Intranasal Plus Subcutaneous Prime Elicits Th1 Dominant T-Cell and Humoral Responses in CD-1 Mice

This study evaluates a dual-antigen Ad5 vaccine delivered via subcutaneous and intranasal routes in mice, showing that combined prime-only delivery elicits strong humoral and T-cell responses against SARS-CoV-2.

A recombinant ACE2 Triple Decoy that traps and neutralizes SARS-CoV-2 shows enhanced affinity for highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 variants

The paper develops an ACE2 Triple Decoy that maintains high affinity for SARS-CoV-2 variants and shows enhanced affinity for specific mutations.

Molecular dynamic simulation reveals E484K mutation enhances spike RBD-ACE2 affinity and the combination of E484K, K417N and N501Y mutations (501Y.V2 variant) induces conformational change greater than N501Y mutant alone, potentially resulting in an escape mutant

This study uses molecular dynamics simulations to show that the E484K mutation increases spike RBD-ACE2 affinity and that the combination of E484K, K417N, and N501Y mutations causes greater conformational changes, potentially leading to antibody escape.

Millisecond-scale molecular dynamics simulation of spike RBD structure reveals evolutionary adaption of SARS-CoV-2 to stably bind ACE2

The paper uses molecular dynamics simulations to study SARS-CoV-2 spike RBD interactions with ACE2, revealing an optimized binding conformation and potential targets for therapeutics.

Complete Protection of Nasal and Lung Airways Against SARS-CoV-2 Challenge by Antibody Plus Th1 Dominant N- and S-Specific T-Cell Responses to Subcutaneous Prime and Thermally-Stable Oral Boost Bivalent hAd5 Vaccination in an NHP Study

hAd5 spike + nucleocapsid SC prime/oral boost vaccine elicits humoral and T-cell responses and protects rhesus macaques from SARS-CoV-2 challenge.

A Next Generation Bivalent Human Ad5 COVID-19 Vaccine Delivering Both Spike and Nucleocapsid Antigens Elicits Th1 Dominant CD4+, CD8+ T-cell and Neutralizing Antibody Responses

This paper describes a bivalent hAd5 vaccine combining S-Fusion and N-ETSD antigens that elicits strong Th1-biased T-cell and neutralizing antibody responses in pre-clinical models.

Identification of an immune gene expression signature associated with favorable clinical features in Treg-enriched patient tumor samples

The paper identifies a 32-gene immune signature in Treg-enriched tumor samples that correlates with chemosensitivity, overall survival, and immunogenic tumor microenvironment features.