While their report, published in the journal Cell, focuses on development of antibody therapeutics against existing and emerging viral threats, including RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) and avian influenza viruses, the implications of the research are much broader, said the paper’s corresponding author, Ivelin Georgiev, Ph.D.

“This study is an important early milestone toward our ultimate goal—using computers to efficiently and effectively design novel biologics from scratch and translate them into the clinic,” said Georgiev, professor of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunology, and director of the Vanderbilt Program in Computational Microbiology and Immunology.