Human antibody BD-218 has broad neutralizing activity against concerning variants of SARS-CoV-2.

As SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern (VOC) reduce the effectiveness of existing anti-COVID therapeutics, it is increasingly critical to identify highly potent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) that bind to conserved regions across multiple variants, especially beta, delta, and omicron variants. Using single-cell sequencing with biochemical methods and pseudo-typed virus neutralization experiments, here we report the characterization of a potent nAb BD-218, identified from an early screen of patients recovering from the original virus. We have determined the cryo-EM structure of the BD-218/spike protein complex to define its epitope in detail, which revealed that BD-218 interacts with a novel epitope on the receptor-binding domain (RBD) of the spike protein. We concluded that BD-218 is a highly effective and broadly active nAb against SARS-CoV-2 variants with promising potential for therapeutic development.

Plant-on-chip: Core morphogenesis processes in the tiny plant Wolffia australiana.

A plant can be thought of as a colony comprising numerous growth buds, each developing to its own rhythm. Such lack of synchrony impedes efforts to describe core principles of plant morphogenesis, dissect the underlying mechanisms, and identify regulators. Here, we use the minimalist known angiosperm to overcome this challenge and provide a model system for plant morphogenesis. We present a detailed morphological description of the monocot Wolffia australiana, as well as high-quality genome information. Further, we developed the plant-on-chip culture system and demonstrate the application of advanced technologies such as single-nucleus RNA-sequencing, protein structure prediction, and gene editing. We provide proof-of-concept examples that illustrate how W. australiana can decipher the core regulatory mechanisms of plant morphogenesis.