Effects of diluted Concord grape juice laced with sodium chloride and selected boron-containing compounds on attraction, consumption, crop muscle contractions, and mortality of adult Drosophila suzukii Matsumura (Diptera: Drosophilidae).

BACKGROUND: In recent years, there has been interest in low-cost, reduced-risk materials that could be used for attract-and-kill of the invasive pest, spotted-wing Drosophila, Drosophila suzukii. This pest causes heavy economic damage to soft-skinned fruits in many countries. In this study, we evaluated physiological and behavioral effects of adding either borax, boric acid, or sodium chloride to diluted Concord grape juice (DGJ), a material that is attractive to adult D. suzukii. RESULTS: Results showed that the addition of borax, sodium chloride and boric acid did not significantly affect the response of adult D. suzukii, relative to DGJ alone. Increases in concentrations (to 5% and 10%) of borax, sodium chloride and boric acid were correlated with decreased ingestion of materials. Mortality of males and females was almost 100% with lower concentrations (1% and 5%) of borax and boric acid within 72 h. The higher concentrations of sodium chloride (5% and 10%) resulted in 100% mortality of both sexes within 72 h. There was no significant effect of chemicals on the number of crop contractions of flies when fed for 4 h. CONCLUSIONS: This study suggests that some substances such as boric acid and borax may act as toxicants without influencing the behavioral response of D. suzukii. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry.

Accelerated antibody discovery targeting the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein for COVID-19 therapeutic potential.

BACKGROUND: Rapid deployment of technologies capable of high-throughput and high-resolution screening is imperative for timely response to viral outbreaks. Risk mitigation in the form of leveraging multiple advanced technologies further increases the likelihood of identifying efficacious treatments in aggressive timelines. METHODS: In this study, we describe two parallel, yet distinct, in vivo approaches for accelerated discovery of antibodies targeting the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 spike protein. Working with human transgenic Alloy-GK mice, we detail a single B-cell discovery workflow to directly interrogate antibodies secreted from plasma cells for binding specificity and ACE2 receptor blocking activity. Additionally, we describe a concurrent accelerated hybridoma-based workflow utilizing a DiversimAb™ mouse model for increased diversity. RESULTS: The panel of antibodies isolated from both workflows revealed binding to distinct epitopes with both blocking and non-blocking profiles. Sequence analysis of the resulting lead candidates uncovered additional diversity with the opportunity for straightforward engineering and affinity maturation. CONCLUSIONS: By combining in vivo models with advanced integration of screening and selection platforms, lead antibody candidates can be sequenced and fully characterized within one to three months.