DNA Nanostructure‐Templated Multivalency Enables Broad‐Spectrum Virus Inhibition
The rapid evolution and antigenic diversity of influenza A viruses (IAVs) continue to challenge antiviral strategies, highlighting the need for broadly effective and modular therapeutic platforms. While single-domain nanobodies and DNA aptamer-based inhibitors have emerged as promising candidates, their efficacy is limited by monomeric binding to the hemagglutinin (HA) proteins populating the viral envelope. A programmable antiviral platform based on a honeycomb-shaped designer DNA nanostructure (HC-DDN) engineered to multivalently display HA-targeting ligands with nanometer precision is presented. Two constructs are synthesized, HC-Nanobody and HC-Aptamer, organized in trimeric clusters to match the native HA trimer geometry. Using murine-adapted H1N1 and H3N2 models, it is shown that both constructs outperform their free counterparts in viral neutralization and cytoprotection. HC-Nanobody construct achieves >99% inhibition of viral entry and improves cell viability by 35-45% at nanomolar concentrations. To assess translational relevance, the HC-Nanobody construct in a porcine IAV infection model is further evaluated, where it maintains high antiviral efficacy (>97% inhibition) and confers a 30-55% increase in cell viability relative to free nanobodies, confirming robust cross-species performance. Overall, this work demonstrates the power of geometry-matched multivalency to enhance viral neutralization and provides a rational blueprint for designing broad-spectrum antivirals against rapidly evolving respiratory pathogens.
Authors
- Dhanush Gandavadi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0000-3063-4408)
- Mareddy Vineetha Reddy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0026-866X)
- Yīng Fāng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3289-3654)
- Abhisek Dwivedy (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9745-8138)
- Lifeng Zhou (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5479-3681)
- Saurabh Umrao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9735-8062)
- Jinwei Duan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2821-8904)
- Chi Chen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3662-0006)
- Xing Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9930-3287)
Institutions
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (US)
- Peking University (CN)
- Chang'an University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Advanced Science
- Published
- 2025-11-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202513710
- Citations
- 1
- Primary Topic
- Influenza Virus Research Studies
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.35
Funders
- National Institutes of Health