Stephan Ludwig
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View article: Antiviral and immunomodulatory effect of zapnometinib in animal models and hospitalized COVID-19 patients
Antiviral and immunomodulatory effect of zapnometinib in animal models and hospitalized COVID-19 patients Open
Introduction In severe COVID-19, direct-acting antiviral drugs were not effective in hyperinflammatory stages and steroid treatment may weaken host immunity. The MEK inhibitor zapnometinib, as a host-targeting drug, has demonstrated promis…
View article: Controlling the Sulfation Density of Glycosaminoglycan Glycopolymer Mimetics Enables High Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2 and Reduces Anticoagulant Activity
Controlling the Sulfation Density of Glycosaminoglycan Glycopolymer Mimetics Enables High Antiviral Activity against SARS-CoV-2 and Reduces Anticoagulant Activity Open
Sulfated glycosaminoglycans (sGAGs) make up a class of cell-surface glycans known to mediate pathogen engagement. Glycopolymers mimicking sGAGs can reduce or prevent pathogen attachment. However, their high anticoagulant activity limits th…
View article: SARS-CoV-2 Variant-Specific Antibodies in Vaccinated Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients
SARS-CoV-2 Variant-Specific Antibodies in Vaccinated Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients Open
Background/Objectives: Patients suffering from inflammatory bowel diseases (IBDs) undergoing treatment with anti-TNF antibodies mount a diminished humoral immune response to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 compared to healthy controls. The …
View article: Influenza A virus NS1 suppresses nuclear speckles promoted gene expression by inhibition of transcription
Influenza A virus NS1 suppresses nuclear speckles promoted gene expression by inhibition of transcription Open
IAV-NS1 proteins that interact with Cleavage and polyadenylation specific factor 30 are known to inhibit host gene expression. Here we report that in both transfection and infection experiments, a strong attenuation of reporter gene expres…
View article: Antiviral activity against HSV-1 of triterpene saponins from Anagallis arvensis is related tothe fusion-inhibitory activity of desglucoanagalloside B
Antiviral activity against HSV-1 of triterpene saponins from Anagallis arvensis is related tothe fusion-inhibitory activity of desglucoanagalloside B Open
The identification of antiviral natural products as new lead structures has become a major task in medical science. Especially saponins have gained high interest for their antiviral activity. Antiviral effects of the saponin-containing pla…
View article: Influenza H5Nx viruses are susceptible to MEK1/2 inhibition by zapnometinib
Influenza H5Nx viruses are susceptible to MEK1/2 inhibition by zapnometinib Open
Highly pathogenic avian influenza A viruses (HPAIV) pose a significant threat to both animal and human health. These viruses have the potential to cause severe respiratory and systemic infections in birds and several mammalian species. The…
View article: Host-targeted antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical development - Prospect or disappointment?
Host-targeted antivirals against SARS-CoV-2 in clinical development - Prospect or disappointment? Open
The global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus, has seen an unprecedented increase in the development of antiviral therapies. Traditional antiviral strategies have primarily focused on direct-acting anti…
View article: Characterisation of the antibody-mediated selective pressure driving intra-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in prolonged infection
Characterisation of the antibody-mediated selective pressure driving intra-host evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in prolonged infection Open
Neutralising antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein are major determinants of protective immunity, though insufficient antibody responses may cause the emergence of escape mutants. We studied the humoral immune response causin…
View article: Molecular characterisation of influenza B virus from the 2017/18 season in primary models of the human lung reveals improved adaptation to the lower respiratory tract
Molecular characterisation of influenza B virus from the 2017/18 season in primary models of the human lung reveals improved adaptation to the lower respiratory tract Open
The 2017/18 influenza season was characterized by unusual high numbers of severe infections and hospitalizations. Instead of influenza A viruses, this season was dominated by infections with influenza B viruses of the Yamagata lineage. Whi…
View article: The anti-inflammatory and tolerogenic potential of small spleen peptides
The anti-inflammatory and tolerogenic potential of small spleen peptides Open
Maintaining peripheral immune tolerance and preventing harmful autoimmune reactions is a fundamental task of the immune system. However, these essential functions are significantly compromised during autoimmune disorders, creating a major …
View article: Small Spleen Peptides (SSPs) Shape Dendritic Cell Differentiation through Modulation of Extracellular ATP Synthesis Profile
Small Spleen Peptides (SSPs) Shape Dendritic Cell Differentiation through Modulation of Extracellular ATP Synthesis Profile Open
Restoring peripheral immune tolerance is crucial for addressing autoimmune diseases. An ancient mechanism in maintaining the balance between inflammation and tolerance is the ratio of extracellular ATP (exATP) and adenosine. Our previous r…
View article: The host-targeted antiviral drug Zapnometinib exhibits a high barrier to the development of SARS-CoV-2 resistance
The host-targeted antiviral drug Zapnometinib exhibits a high barrier to the development of SARS-CoV-2 resistance Open
Host targeting antiviral drugs (HTA) are directed against cellular mechanisms which can be exploited by viruses. These mechanisms are essential for viral replication, because missing functions cannot be compensated by the virus. However, t…
View article: Variant-specific humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 escape mutants arising in clinically severe, prolonged infection
Variant-specific humoral immune response to SARS-CoV-2 escape mutants arising in clinically severe, prolonged infection Open
Neutralising antibodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein are major determinants of protective immunity, though insufficient antibody responses may cause the emergence of escape mutants. We studied the intra-host evolution and the h…
View article: Surrogate Virus Neutralisation Test Based on Nanoluciferase-Tagged Antigens to Quantify Inhibitory Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and Characterise Omicron-Specific Reactivity in a Vaccination Cohort
Surrogate Virus Neutralisation Test Based on Nanoluciferase-Tagged Antigens to Quantify Inhibitory Antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and Characterise Omicron-Specific Reactivity in a Vaccination Cohort Open
Virus-specific antibodies are crucial for protective immunity against SARS-CoV-2. Assessing functional antibodies through conventional or pseudotyped virus neutralisation tests (pVNT) requires high biosafety levels. Alternatively, the viru…
View article: Influenza A virus replication has a stronger dependency on Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway activity than SARS-CoV-2
Influenza A virus replication has a stronger dependency on Raf/MEK/ERK signaling pathway activity than SARS-CoV-2 Open
The recent COVID-19 pandemic again highlighted the urgent need for broad-spectrum antivirals, both for therapeutic use in acute viral infection and for pandemic preparedness in general. The targeting of host cell factors hijacked by viruse…
View article: Surrogate virus neutralisation test based on nanoluciferase-tagged antigens to quantify inhibitory antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and characterise Omicron-specific reactivity
Surrogate virus neutralisation test based on nanoluciferase-tagged antigens to quantify inhibitory antibodies against SARS-CoV-2 and characterise Omicron-specific reactivity Open
Virus-specific antibodies are important determinants of protective immunity against severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). While regarded as the gold standard for detecting functional antibodies, conventional virus n…
View article: Glycolytic interference blocks influenza A virus propagation by impairing viral polymerase-driven synthesis of genomic vRNA
Glycolytic interference blocks influenza A virus propagation by impairing viral polymerase-driven synthesis of genomic vRNA Open
Influenza A virus (IAV), like any other virus, provokes considerable modifications of its host cell’s metabolism. This includes a substantial increase in the uptake as well as the metabolization of glucose. Although it is known for quite s…
View article: Cell-intrinsic genomic reassortment of pandemic H1N1 2009 and Eurasian avian-like swine influenza viruses results in potentially zoonotic variants
Cell-intrinsic genomic reassortment of pandemic H1N1 2009 and Eurasian avian-like swine influenza viruses results in potentially zoonotic variants Open
Influenza A viruses (IAV) cause annual epidemics and occasional pandemics in humans. The most recent pandemic outbreak occurred in 2009 with H1N1pdm09. This virus, which most likely reassorted in swine before its transmission to humans, wa…
View article: Importance of ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Kidney Cells
Importance of ACE2 for SARS-CoV-2 Infection of Kidney Cells Open
In late 2019, the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) as the causative agent of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) emerged in China and spread rapidly around the world, causing an ongoing pandemic of global …
View article: Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Cardiac Dysfunction in Transgenic Mice with Viral Myocarditis
Pathophysiological Mechanisms of Cardiac Dysfunction in Transgenic Mice with Viral Myocarditis Open
Viral myocarditis is pathologically associated with RNA viruses such as coxsackievirus B3 (CVB3), or more recently, with SARS-CoV-2, but despite intensive research, clinically proven treatment is limited. Here, by use of a transgenic mouse…
View article: Impaired humoral immunity to BQ.1.1 in convalescent and vaccinated patients
Impaired humoral immunity to BQ.1.1 in convalescent and vaccinated patients Open
Determining SARS-CoV-2 immunity is critical to assess COVID-19 risk and the need for prevention and mitigation strategies. We measured SARS-CoV-2 Spike/Nucleocapsid seroprevalence and serum neutralizing activity against Wu01, BA.4/5 and BQ…