Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41946909›Full record

ArticleEMBO molecular medicine2026

Broadly neutralizing nanobodies target a defined structural pivot site on the RSV fusion protein.

Qianqian Wang, Xianliang Ke, Entao Li, Dongxiang Hong, Zekai Cheng, Hongxin Li, Jiachen Zhang, Tengchuan Jin, Rui Gong, Bo Shu and 1 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in EMBO molecular medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

11 authors.

Qianqian Wang *Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.ORCID 0009-0009-4060-7548
Xianliang Ke *CAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
Entao Li *Department of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China.
Dongxiang HongDivision of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
Zekai ChengDivision of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
Hongxin LiCAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
Jiachen ZhangDivision of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
Tengchuan JinDivision of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230026, China.
Rui GongCAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China.
Bo ShuCAS Key Laboratory of Special Pathogens and Biosafety, Wuhan Institute of Virology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430071, China. shubo@wh.iov.cn.ORCID 0000-0002-4408-2971
Sandra ChiuDepartment of Infectious Disease, The First Affiliated Hospital of USTC, Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, Anhui, 230001, China. qiux@ustc.edu.cn.ORCID 0000-0001-9034-5755

Funding

Hubei Provincial health Research Fund WJ2025Z018the National Key R&D Program of China 2022YFC3500804The strategic Priority Research Program of the chinese academy of sciences XDB0490000USTC Research Funds of the Double First-Class Initiative YD9100002040
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a leading cause of acute lower respiratory tract infections in infants and elderly individuals. Although nirsevimab represents a recent breakthrough against RSV infection, the emergence of resistant variants highlight the need for additional antiviral strategies. Here, we report two nanobodies (Nbs), 1G9 and 1D8, that target the RSV fusion (F) protein and exhibit high neutralizing activity against RSV subtypes. In vivo, the Nbs-Fc demonstrated robust prophylactic and therapeutic efficacy. Cryo-electron microscopy revealed that 1G9 and 1D8 specifically engage a conformational pivot site within antigenic site IV, crosslinking the metastable heptad repeats B (HRB) and the conformationally stable domain II of the F protein. This interaction stabilizes the prefusion conformation and prevents the structural rearrangement required for membrane fusion. Notably, the binding residues are highly conserved across RSV subtypes, accounting for the broad-spectrum neutralization observed. Together, our findings identify a structurally conserved and functionally critical epitope on RSV F and highlight 1G9 and 1D8 as promising candidates for next-generation prophylactic and therapeutic interventions against RSV.

Indexed as

Antibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralRespiratory Syncytial Virus, HumanRespiratory Syncytial Virus InfectionsSingle-Domain AntibodiesViral Fusion ProteinsAnimalsCryoelectron MicroscopyEpitopesHumansAntibodies, NeutralizingAntibodies, ViralEpitopesSingle-Domain AntibodiesViral Fusion ProteinsNanobodyProphylactic and TherapeuticRespiratory Syncytial VirusRSV F

Identifiers

PMID41946909
PMCPMC13179361

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.