Harvard team proposes antibody cocktails to push viruses into evolutionary dead ends

New method shapes viral landscape

The researchers describe fitness landscape design as a way to alter the terrain viruses navigate during mutation. Instead of accepting a fixed environment, this approach actively pushes pathogens away from dangerous variants. The team led by Eugene Shakhnovich and Vaibhav Mohanty suggests this strategy prevents viruses from slipping past existing vaccines.

Evolutionary path becomes difficult

Biologists typically view evolution as a climb toward higher fitness where mutations improve reproduction rates. This new technique flips that standard model by rewriting the rules to make certain paths unviable. The study indicates that steering viruses into dead ends could stop them from adapting effectively.

Study published in scientific journal

The findings appear in a recent paper within the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Harvard's Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology conducted the work to address how variants evade immunity. The group argues that understanding these engineered landscapes offers a new defense against future outbreaks.