Protein Head, Protein Stem
If you cant go for the head, go for the stem
If you got a flu shot and it still didnt work. You might have heard How flu shot needs to be made anew each year. MIT researches found a way to solve that by going for the stem instead of the protein.
"If the antibodies could bind to the stable protein “stem” instead of its changeable “head,” they could protect against any flu strain, and people wouldn’t need to get new shots year after year."
If you are expecting a hydra looking thing, imagine a mushroom .
"The mushroom-shaped protein specializes in infecting cells, first by binding a trio of sites on its head to three separate sugar molecules on the surface of targeted cells. Once the virus latches on, parts of HA’s stem act as a grappling hook to pull the virus in close, allowing it to fuse with the cell membrane and release its contents inside."
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