New antibody discovery offers broad protection against coronaviruses
Major scientific breakthrough has been published in Nature Communications
Shanghai and Oxford, August 2025 – A major scientific breakthrough has been published in Nature Communications, revealing a broadly neutralising antibody that targets a unique and conserved epitope shared across multiple coronaviruses. This discovery could pave the way for universal coronavirus vaccines and therapeutics.
Professors Raymond Dwek and Nicole Zitzmann
The study, led by researchers at ShanghaiTech University with international collaboration — including the groups of Nicole Zitzmann and Raymond Dwek at the University of Oxford — identifies an antibody that binds to a signature motif present in the spike proteins of diverse coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2 and its variants.This motif had not been previously exploited in vaccine or drug design, making the findings especially significant.
The antibody was discovered using human phage display libraries, a technique co-pioneered by the late Richard Lerner, whose visionary work laid the foundation for antibody engineering and therapeutic discovery. The paper is dedicated to his memory, honouring his profound impact on biomedical science.
This antibody recognises a structural feature that is remarkably conserved across coronaviruses and opens up exciting possibilities for developing pan-coronavirus interventions that remain effective even as the virus evolves.
The research combines structural biology, immunology, and virology to demonstrate the antibody’s neutralising breadth and mechanism of action. It shows strong activity against multiple variants of concern and related animal coronaviruses, suggesting significant potential for pandemic preparedness.
The full article is available in open access via Springer Nature’s SharedIt initiative. Read the paper
