AtaGenix Delivers Custom Rabbit Polyclonal Antibody Services for Haojie Hao’s Team at Wuhan Institute of Virology

Based on: Hao H et al., Viruses, 2025 — DOI: 10.3390/v17060831 (IF: 3.8, Q2)

Study Context

Nipah virus (NiV) is a BSL-4 paramyxovirus with case fatality rates of 40–75%, making it a WHO priority pathogen. While host RNA modifications have attracted growing interest in virology, the specific contribution of m6A methylation to NiV replication remained unclear. The Wuhan Institute of Virology team set out to determine whether m6A levels on NiV RNA differ between high-pathogenicity (Malaysia) and low-pathogenicity (Bangladesh) strains, and whether modulating the m6A pathway could serve as a host-directed antiviral strategy.

Figure 1. m6A modification modulates Nipah virus replication and pathogenicity. Higher m6A methylation levels on viral RNA correlate with increased virulence in the NiV-Malaysia strain. Adapted from Hao et al., Viruses 2025.

Client Requirements

The research team, led by Haojie Hao, required a custom mouse polyclonal antibody (pAb) targeting the NiV matrix (M) protein to investigate its role in modulating host m6A machinery and viral replication. The antibody needed to:

1. Specifically detect NiV M protein with minimal cross-reactivity against other viral or host proteins

2. Perform reliably in Western blot assays on NiV-infected cell lysates

3. Function robustly under BSL-4 high-containment laboratory conditions

Technical Challenges

Developing antibodies for BSL-4 pathogens presents unique obstacles. The NiV M protein had limited characterized epitopes in public databases, requiring de novo antigen design. Cross-reactivity with structurally related paramyxovirus matrix proteins was a concern. Additionally, all downstream validation had to be performed under BSL-4 conditions, where workflow constraints limit the number of optimization cycles possible.

AtaGenix’s Approach

Antigen Design & Antibody Production: AtaGenix designed specific NiV M protein peptide immunogens optimized for high immunogenicity and target specificity. Mice were immunized to generate high-titer polyclonal antibodies, with the complete process — from antigen design through QC validation — completed within 4–6 weeks.

Validation & BSL-4 Support: Antibody specificity was confirmed via Western blot analysis on NiV-infected cell lysates, demonstrating accurate detection of the M protein at the expected molecular weight. AtaGenix provided technical support to optimize antibody dilution and incubation conditions for BSL-4 workflows, ensuring reliable performance in high-containment environments.

Figure 2. Western blot validation of the AtaGenix-produced anti-NiV M polyclonal antibody. Specific detection of NiV M protein in infected cell lysates under BSL-4 conditions. Adapted from Hao et al., Viruses 2025.

Key Metrics

Results may vary depending on target, antigen design, and project scope. All proprietary client information is subject to NDA.