Our research project on antibody therapeutics development for Nipah virus infection (Principal Investigator: Makoto Takeda) has been selected for the research area "Interdisciplinary Cutting-edge Research" of the basic research on the control of emerging and reemerging infectious diseases of the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED). 

Call for Research and Development: Medical Countermeasures (MCM) for Infectious Disease Emergencies

Research title "Studies on antibody therapeutics development for Nipah virus infection" 

This project aims to develop antibody therapeutics that can be rapidly deployed against outbreaks of henipavirus infections, particularly Nipah virus (NiV). NiV is a highly pathogenic zoonotic virus with a case fatality rate of 40–75% and documented human-to-human transmission, making it a WHO R&D Blueprint Pathogen and a priority infectious disease in Japan. However, because outbreaks are sporadic and geographically limited, the development of effective therapeutics has remained insufficient.

Building on our long-standing expertise in paramyxovirus biology, we will employ Sendai virus vector-based immunization to generate a broad repertoire of neutralizing antibodies that recognize native viral glycoproteins. By integrating advanced glycoprotein production and antibody screening technologies, we will establish a comprehensive panel of monoclonal antibodies. Furthermore, we will utilize our unique light-controllable vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) platform to efficiently generate escape mutants and rapidly identify conserved protective epitopes through integrated genetic, functional, and structural analyses. Lead antibodies will be evaluated in animal models and subsequently humanized for therapeutic development.

This project will establish four key outcomes: antibody candidates for rapid outbreak response, a panel of broadly neutralizing antibodies, an innovative epitope-mapping platform, and a versatile antibody discovery platform applicable not only to henipaviruses but also to future emerging infectious diseases. 

https://www.amed.go.jp/koubo/03004/01/C_00004.html