This paper develops a bacteriophage T4-based nanoparticle vector to deliver mRNA and protein payloads into primary human hematopoietic stem cells with up to 20% efficiency.

bioRxiv · Jan 29, 2026 · PreprintBioengineering

Periplasmic gatekeeping of phage DNA entry by rSAM enzyme-mediated maturation of an effector with His-X-Ser repeats

Mengling Li, Erchao Sun, Shuangshuang Wang, Yuxuan Huang, Haiguang Song, Sirong Kuang, Guoqi Li, Y. G. Liu, Ziwei Xia, Xueqi Zhang, Jiumin Han, Zhaoxu Dong, Venigalla Basaveswara Rao, Lvhui Sun, Pan Tao

This study identifies a bacterial antiphage system, HXS, that targets phage DNA entry through rSAM enzyme-mediated maturation of an effector with His-X-Ser repeats.

bioRxiv · Jan 6, 2026 · PreprintMicrobiology

A Modular Bacteriophage T4 Nanoparticle Platform Enables Rapid Design of Dual COVID-19-Flu Mucosal Vaccines

Jingen Zhu, Jian Sha, Himanshu Batra, Swati Jain, Xiaorong Wu, Emily K. Hendrix, Paul B. Kilgore, Keer Sun, Kenneth S. Plante, Jessica A. Plante, Jordyn L. Walker, Pan Tao, Ashok K. Chopra, Venigalla Basaveswara Rao

This paper describes a bacteriophage T4-based nanoparticle platform for designing dual COVID-19-Flu mucosal vaccines, showing robust immune responses and protection in mice.

Small Science · Jan 28, 2025Peer-reviewedMicrobiology

Structure-function Analyses Reveal Key Molecular Determinants of HIV-1 CRF01_AE Resistance to the Entry Inhibitor Temsavir

Jérémie Prévost, Yaozong Chen, Fei Zhou, William David Tolbert, Romain Gasser, Halima Medjahed, Manon Nayrac, Dung Ngoc Pham Nguyen, Suneetha Gottumukkala, Ann Jones Hessell, Venigalla Basaveswara Rao, Edwin V. Pozharski, Rick K Huang, Doreen Matthies, Andrés Finzi, Marzena Pazgier

This study identifies multiple molecular determinants of HIV-1 CRF01_AE resistance to temsavir, showing that resistance involves crosstalk between His375 and inner domain layers.

Nature Communications · Oct 23, 2023Peer-reviewedMolecular Biology