Paul Thomas
@thomaspv.bsky.social
Reposted by Paul Thomas
This is an interesting case of a patient from Chad infected with a novel arenavirus species/variant/strain, presenting with meningoencephalitis.
IMO, could be classified as a highly divergent Lassa virus strain in a new country (similar to what Togo has observed).
www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...
IMO, could be classified as a highly divergent Lassa virus strain in a new country (similar to what Togo has observed).
www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...
A Mammarenavirus Close to Lassa Virus in a Patient with Meningoencephalitis | NEJM
A 37-year-old man in Chad presented with a fever and a headache. An extensive evaluation
identified a mammarenavirus, close to Lassa virus, in samples of cerebrospinal fluid.
www.nejm.org
November 17, 2025 at 4:47 PM
This is an interesting case of a patient from Chad infected with a novel arenavirus species/variant/strain, presenting with meningoencephalitis.
IMO, could be classified as a highly divergent Lassa virus strain in a new country (similar to what Togo has observed).
www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...
IMO, could be classified as a highly divergent Lassa virus strain in a new country (similar to what Togo has observed).
www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Delighted to share the peer-reviewed version of our article describing a prefusion-stabilized MARV GP vaccine immunogen and a best-in-class MARV neutralizing and protective antibody!
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Potent neutralization of Marburg virus by a vaccine-elicited antibody - Nature
Nature - Potent neutralization of Marburg virus by a vaccine-elicited antibody
www.nature.com
November 12, 2025 at 4:20 PM
Delighted to share the peer-reviewed version of our article describing a prefusion-stabilized MARV GP vaccine immunogen and a best-in-class MARV neutralizing and protective antibody!
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Led by @aminaddetia.bsky.social with @virbiotechnology.bsky.social
@hhmi.org
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
🧪 🦠 Prefusion structure, evasion and neutralization of HSV-1 glycoprotein B www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Prefusion structure, evasion and neutralization of HSV-1 glycoprotein B - Nature Microbiology
Cryo-EM structures of the stabilized prefusion conformation of the glycoprotein B ectodomain—the HSV-1 entry machine—identify a prefusion-specific neutralizing antibody and reveal how prefusion glycop...
www.nature.com
November 8, 2025 at 3:37 AM
🧪 🦠 Prefusion structure, evasion and neutralization of HSV-1 glycoprotein B www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Neutralizing antibodies against Chikungunya virus and structural elucidation of their mechanism of action pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41184282/ #cryoem
November 4, 2025 at 10:15 AM
Neutralizing antibodies against Chikungunya virus and structural elucidation of their mechanism of action pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41184282/ #cryoem
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Our new preprint is out 🥳🥳🥳
Henipaviruses, like Nipah and Hendra, package their genomes inside helical shells built by thousands of nucleoproteins. These nucleocapsids are essential to protect the viral RNA, but how do they ever let the polymerase in to read the sequence?
👇
Henipaviruses, like Nipah and Hendra, package their genomes inside helical shells built by thousands of nucleoproteins. These nucleocapsids are essential to protect the viral RNA, but how do they ever let the polymerase in to read the sequence?
👇
November 3, 2025 at 12:26 PM
Our new preprint is out 🥳🥳🥳
Henipaviruses, like Nipah and Hendra, package their genomes inside helical shells built by thousands of nucleoproteins. These nucleocapsids are essential to protect the viral RNA, but how do they ever let the polymerase in to read the sequence?
👇
Henipaviruses, like Nipah and Hendra, package their genomes inside helical shells built by thousands of nucleoproteins. These nucleocapsids are essential to protect the viral RNA, but how do they ever let the polymerase in to read the sequence?
👇
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Structural Mechanism of Prestin-Membrane Mechanotransduction https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.31.685930v1
November 2, 2025 at 3:48 AM
Structural Mechanism of Prestin-Membrane Mechanotransduction https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.31.685930v1
Reposted by Paul Thomas
HKU25 clade MERS-related coronaviruses use ACE2 as a functional receptor pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41168429/ #cryoem
November 2, 2025 at 12:46 AM
HKU25 clade MERS-related coronaviruses use ACE2 as a functional receptor pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41168429/ #cryoem
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Genetic diversity in horseshoe bat ACE2 and sarbecovirus spike proteins mutually shape one another https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.26.684670v1
October 27, 2025 at 7:18 PM
Genetic diversity in horseshoe bat ACE2 and sarbecovirus spike proteins mutually shape one another https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.10.26.684670v1
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Development of a cross-protective common cold coronavirus vaccine journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Development of a cross-protective common cold coronavirus vaccine | Journal of Virology
Human coronaviruses like OC43 cause disease in vulnerable populations, yet no approved
vaccines exist. We developed an mRNA vaccine targeting the OC43 spike protein that
protects mice not only against...
journals.asm.org
October 22, 2025 at 1:38 PM
Development of a cross-protective common cold coronavirus vaccine journals.asm.org/doi/10.1128/...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Bat sarbecovirus WIV1-CoV bears an adaptive mutation that alters spike dynamics and enhances ACE2 binding
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Bat sarbecovirus WIV1-CoV bears an adaptive mutation that alters spike dynamics and enhances ACE2 binding
Author summary Recent epidemic-causing coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-2, originated in bats. Large numbers of such viruses circulate in bats and pose clear and present risks to humans. However, our...
journals.plos.org
October 17, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Bat sarbecovirus WIV1-CoV bears an adaptive mutation that alters spike dynamics and enhances ACE2 binding
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
journals.plos.org/plospathogen...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Applying computational design, researchers in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine present an integrated vaccine platform that combines the strengths of mRNA and nanoparticle technologies, and show it elicits strong immune responses in a SARS-CoV-2 model system. https://scim.ag/3W9M09p
Computationally designed mRNA-launched protein nanoparticle immunogens elicit protective antibody and T cell responses in mice
Genetic delivery of designed protein nanoparticles displaying the SARS-CoV-2 RBD elicits potent neutralizing antibody and CD8 T cell responses.
scim.ag
October 16, 2025 at 3:27 PM
Applying computational design, researchers in #ScienceTranslationalMedicine present an integrated vaccine platform that combines the strengths of mRNA and nanoparticle technologies, and show it elicits strong immune responses in a SARS-CoV-2 model system. https://scim.ag/3W9M09p
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Very excited that my final postdoctoral work is now online in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Using 16 (!) cryo-EM structures, we uncovered how the three proteins coronin, cofilin and AIP1 work together to rapidly disassemble actin filaments.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Using 16 (!) cryo-EM structures, we uncovered how the three proteins coronin, cofilin and AIP1 work together to rapidly disassemble actin filaments.
October 13, 2025 at 9:04 AM
Very excited that my final postdoctoral work is now online in Cell @cellpress.bsky.social.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Using 16 (!) cryo-EM structures, we uncovered how the three proteins coronin, cofilin and AIP1 work together to rapidly disassemble actin filaments.
www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
Using 16 (!) cryo-EM structures, we uncovered how the three proteins coronin, cofilin and AIP1 work together to rapidly disassemble actin filaments.
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Really excited to have been a small part of this work investigating sarbecovirus host range, receptor usage and antigenicity!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.03.673949v1
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.03.673949v1
Understanding the future risk of bat coronavirus spillover into humans: correlating sarbecovirus receptor usage, host range, and antigenicity.
Sarbecoviruses interact with their receptor, angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), via the receptor binding domain (RBD) of Spike, the immunodominant target for neutralising antibodies. Understandin...
www.biorxiv.org
September 9, 2025 at 1:46 PM
Really excited to have been a small part of this work investigating sarbecovirus host range, receptor usage and antigenicity!
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.03.673949v1
www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.09.03.673949v1
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Prefusion gB of HSV bound with a neutralizing nanobody www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A nanobody specific to prefusion glycoprotein B neutralizes HSV-1 and HSV-2 - Nature
A neutralizing nanobody specific to the prefusion conformation of herpes simplex virus glycoprotein B has cross-species activity and offers insights into virus neutralization, possible immunogens and ...
www.nature.com
September 4, 2025 at 5:51 AM
Prefusion gB of HSV bound with a neutralizing nanobody www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
New preprint! If some merbecoviruses use DPP4 and others use ACE2, what do those hedgehog merbecoviruses use?! As it turns out, neither! In our latest study, we uncover the "missing" receptor for the MERS-related viruses in hedgehogs. [These findings were first shared at ASV this year] (1/6)
Aminopeptidase N is a receptor for hedgehog merbecoviruses
Merbecoviruses, closely related to the highly pathogenetic Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), circulate in hedgehogs throughout Europe and Asia, raising concerns about zoonotic t...
tinyurl.com
September 4, 2025 at 4:48 AM
New preprint! If some merbecoviruses use DPP4 and others use ACE2, what do those hedgehog merbecoviruses use?! As it turns out, neither! In our latest study, we uncover the "missing" receptor for the MERS-related viruses in hedgehogs. [These findings were first shared at ASV this year] (1/6)
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Characterization of the glycoproteins of fish and amphibian influenza B–like viruses www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Characterization of the glycoproteins of fish and amphibian influenza B–like viruses
Fish and amphibian influenza B–like viruses show functional divergence and lack immunity in humans.
www.science.org
August 29, 2025 at 3:24 PM
Characterization of the glycoproteins of fish and amphibian influenza B–like viruses www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Structural elucidation of a unique binding mode by an intact alphavirus human IgG molecule to a quaternary epitope pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40830099/ #cryoem
August 20, 2025 at 2:51 PM
Structural elucidation of a unique binding mode by an intact alphavirus human IgG molecule to a quaternary epitope pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40830099/ #cryoem
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Our aim was to create a kit to produce in-house 1.2 holey carbon cryoEM grids, in three simple steps, at less than half of the prize, and without due times. I think we are there. Academic teams that want to know more, receive training or order a kit, please contact [email protected].
August 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Our aim was to create a kit to produce in-house 1.2 holey carbon cryoEM grids, in three simple steps, at less than half of the prize, and without due times. I think we are there. Academic teams that want to know more, receive training or order a kit, please contact [email protected].
Reposted by Paul Thomas
The N terminus of H3-influenza hemagglutinin as a site-of-vulnerability to neutralizing antibody www.cell.com/structure/fu...
The N terminus of H3-influenza hemagglutinin as a site-of-vulnerability to neutralizing antibody
Rawi et al. investigate the conserved, flexible, and accessible H3-hemagglutinin N
terminus, which is 10 residues longer than that of other influenza subtypes. They
find a “peptide-prime-trimer-boost”...
www.cell.com
August 14, 2025 at 2:50 PM
The N terminus of H3-influenza hemagglutinin as a site-of-vulnerability to neutralizing antibody www.cell.com/structure/fu...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Molecular organization of the New World arenavirus spike glycoprotein complex | @natmicrobiol.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Molecular organization of the New World arenavirus spike glycoprotein complex - Nature Microbiology
Cryo-EM structures of the full-length Junin virus and Machupo virus spike glycoprotein complexes stabilized in the prefusion conformation. Analyses reveal features that regulate glycoprotein pH-depend...
www.nature.com
August 9, 2025 at 5:56 AM
Molecular organization of the New World arenavirus spike glycoprotein complex | @natmicrobiol.nature.com
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Discovery: mRNA vaccine candidate blocks malaria from reproducing inside mosquitoes, cuts transmission by up to 99.7%. Built on cryo-EM insights into parasite’s fertilisation machinery. A key step towards elimination. In @science.org
🔗 www.wehi.edu.au/news/reveale...
🔗 www.wehi.edu.au/news/reveale...
August 5, 2025 at 11:06 PM
Discovery: mRNA vaccine candidate blocks malaria from reproducing inside mosquitoes, cuts transmission by up to 99.7%. Built on cryo-EM insights into parasite’s fertilisation machinery. A key step towards elimination. In @science.org
🔗 www.wehi.edu.au/news/reveale...
🔗 www.wehi.edu.au/news/reveale...
Reposted by Paul Thomas
Reposted by Paul Thomas
VitriFlex: An Open-Source, Modular, and Customizable Robotic Platform for Cryo-EM Grid Preparation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.24.666634v1 #cryoem
July 30, 2025 at 9:05 AM
VitriFlex: An Open-Source, Modular, and Customizable Robotic Platform for Cryo-EM Grid Preparation www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.07.24.666634v1 #cryoem
Reposted by Paul Thomas
In situ insights into antibody-mediated neutralization of a pre-fusion Junin virus glycoprotein complex pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40632652/ #cryoem
July 10, 2025 at 12:55 PM
In situ insights into antibody-mediated neutralization of a pre-fusion Junin virus glycoprotein complex pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40632652/ #cryoem
Reposted by Paul Thomas
"A rationally designed 2C inhibitor prevents enterovirus D68-infected mice from developing paralysis"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A rationally designed 2C inhibitor prevents enterovirus D68-infected mice from developing paralysis - Nature Communications
There are no vaccines or antivirals available against enterovirus D68. Here, the authors report Jun6504 as a 2C inhibitor and show that it provides broad-spectrum antiviral activity against EV-D68, EV...
www.nature.com
July 4, 2025 at 11:18 AM
"A rationally designed 2C inhibitor prevents enterovirus D68-infected mice from developing paralysis"
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...