De novo design of dual-target mini-binders simultaneously neutralizing Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus M-like protein and host TNFR1 confers complete protection against lethal infection
Ke Ming, Yang Hu, Banbin Xing, Meiting Chen, Yuhua Chen, Xiujuan Chen, Miaomiao Geng, Zhiyong Wu, Yanxia Liu, Lin Wei, Jun Weng, Zigong Wei · 2026
Read De novo design of dual-target mini-binders simultaneously neutralizing Streptococcus equi subspecies zooepidemicus M-like protein and host TNFR1 confers complete protection against lethal infection by Ke Ming, Yang Hu, Banbin Xing, Meiting Chen, Yuhua Chen, Xiujuan Chen, Miaomiao Geng, Zhiyong Wu, Yanxia Liu, Lin Wei, Jun Weng, Zigong Wei (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13267575.txt.
Description
Ke Ming and a large team design in 2026 computer-built mini-proteins that grab two targets at once to fight a dangerous streptococcal infection in animals. One target is a bacterial surface protein that helps the germ stick to host cells. The other is a host receptor in a pathway that drives damaging inflammation. Earlier single-target binders each gave only partial protection.
Using a diffusion-based design platform, the team built fused binders by two strategies, and all bound both targets. The binders blocked bacterial adhesion and dampened the inflammatory signal in tests. Two designs fully protected mice from an otherwise lethal infection, with lower bacterial counts in organs and less inflammatory hormone in blood. The platform may generalize to other complex diseases needing two hits at once.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Ke Ming, Yang Hu, Banbin Xing, Meiting Chen, Yuhua Chen, Xiujuan Chen, Miaomiao Geng, Zhiyong Wu, Yanxia Liu, Lin Wei, Jun Weng, Zigong Wei |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 63 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |