Biography
Aashish Manglik is an assistant professor at the University of California, San Francisco. His research laboratory normally focuses on the molecular basis of transmembrane signal transduction by G protein-coupled receptors, with an aim to define the atomic basis of hormone and drug action. Towards this goal, his lab has generated new approaches for rapid discovery of conformationally selective nanobodies from synthetic libraries, yielding an open-source platform currently in use by many academic and industry laboratories. These approaches have enabled rapid discovery of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing nanobodies, with potential use as aerosolized approaches for passive immunity.

Talk
Aerosolized Nanobodies For SARS-CoV-2 Passive Immunization
We describe the discovery and protein engineering of a potent nanobody neutralizer of the SARS-CoV-2 Spike protein with a unique mechanism of action. The combined stability and potency of this neutralizing nanobody may enable delivery of this potent neutralizer directly to the airway epithelia, potentially yielding a widely deployable, patient-friendly prophylactic and/or early infection therapeutic agent for SARS-CoV-2 infections.