Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42797856›Full record

ArticleViruses2026

Analysis of HA5 Hemagglutinins from Influenza A Viruses for Mass-Charge Patterns to Understand Antigenic Drift Related to Immune Escape.

Wenhao Zhang, Xinran Wu, Rui Zhu, Xinyi Pan, Shancheng Yu, Jie Wang, Jun Steed Huang, Wandong Zhang

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Viruses, 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
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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

8 authors.

Wenhao ZhangSchool of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.
Xinran WuSchool of Medical Imaging, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.
Rui ZhuSchool of Rehabilitation Medicine, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.
Xinyi PanFaculty of Engineering, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON K1H 8M5, Canada.
Shancheng YuSchool of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.
Jie WangSchool of Biomedical Engineering and Informatics, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 211166, China.ORCID 0000-0001-9564-165X
Jun Steed HuangSchool of Computer Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
Wandong ZhangHuman Health Therapeutics Research Centre, National Research Council of Canada, Ottawa, ON K1A 0R6, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-6412-8124

Funding

Canadian Institute of Health Research 170355National Research Council Canada A1-020810-01-01-01
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Influenza A viruses remain a persistent global health threat due to their ability to mutate and evade host immune defences, a process largely driven by changes in hemagglutinin (HA). HA is a glycoprotein present on the surface of influenza virions and plays a critical role in viral entry into host cells by binding to cellular receptors. In this study, 23 HA5 protein sequences from various influenza viral strains collected from wild birds, seagulls, ducks, geese, and chickens, as well as from humans in mainland China during the period from 2023 to 2024, were analyzed for mass-charge patterns by our predictive modelling algorithm to understand the nonlinear trend of viral evolution, particularly regarding their antigenic drift and immune escape potential. Two critical regions in HA5 proteins were identified and analyzed. The first region is a "mutable zone" (the negative gravity centre identified by mass-charge pattern analysis), which frequently accumulates multiple mutations. This leads to antigenic drift and instability, enabling the virus to evade pre-existing herd immunity. Analyzing and monitoring mass-charge changes may help predict the evolutionary trend of the viruses and the emergence of future variants in these regions where the viruses were collected, thereby informing the design and development of vaccines for the viruses analyzed and related strains. The second region is a "stable core" (positive gravity centre), a highly conserved region essential for viral function. Due to its conservation across strains, it may represent a promising target for developing universal vaccines and broad-spectrum antibodies capable of conferring protection against multiple variants simultaneously for the viruses analyzed and related strains. In summary, our analyses, with a predictive modelling algorithm for mass-charge patterns of HA5 protein sequences, provide a novel metric for viral evolution and evaluating the immune evasion potential, and offer a strategic framework for designing vaccines against the viruses analyzed and related strains.

Indexed as

Antigenic Drift and ShiftHemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza VirusImmune EvasionInfluenza A virusAnimalsAntigens, ViralBirdsChinaEvolution, MolecularHumansInfluenza, HumanInfluenza in BirdsMutationAntigens, ViralHemagglutinin Glycoproteins, Influenza Virusgenetic and antigenic driftHA5 proteinsimmune escapeinfluenza A virusesmass-charge patternspredictive modelling algorithmwildlife

Identifiers

PMID42797856
PMCPMC13612040

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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.