rAAV expressing recombinant antibody for emergency prevention and long-term prophylaxis of COVID-19

IntroductionNumerous agents for prophylaxis of SARS-CoV-2-induced diseases are currently registered for the clinical use. Formation of the immunity happens within several weeks following vaccine administration which is their key disadvantage. In contrast, drugs based on monoclonal antibodies, enable rapid passive immunization and therefore can be used for emergency pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis of COVID-19. However rapid elimination of antibody-based drugs from the circulation limits their usage for prolonged pre-exposure prophylaxis.MethodsIn current work we developed a recombinant adeno-associated viral vector (rAAV), expressing a SARS-CoV-2 spike receptor-binding domain (RBD)-specific antibody P2C5 fused with a human IgG1 Fc fragment (P2C5-Fc) using methods of molecular biotechnology and bioprocessing.Results and discussionsA P2C5-Fc antibody expressed by a proposed rAAV (rAAV-P2C5-Fc) was shown to circulate within more than 300 days in blood of transduced mice and protect animals from lethal SARS-CoV-2 virus (B.1.1.1 and Omicron BA.5 variants) lethal dose of 105 TCID50. In addition, rAAV-P2C5-Fc demonstrated 100% protective activity as emergency prevention and long-term prophylaxis, respectively. It was also demonstrated that high titers of neutralizing antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 virus were detected in the blood serum of animals that received rAAV-P2C5-Fc for more than 10 months from the moment of administration.Our data therefore indicate applicability of an rAAV for passive immunization and induction of a rapid long-term protection against various SARS-CoV-2 variants

Measurement of the Mass Splittings between the bbˉχb,J(1P)b\bar{b}\chi_{b,J}(1P) States

We present new measurements of photon energies and branching fractions for the radiative transitions: Upsilon(2S)->gamma+chi_b(J=0,1,2). The masses of the chi_b states are determined from the measured radiative photon energies. The ratio of mass splittings between the chi_b substates, r==(M[J=2]-M[J=1])/(M[J=1]-M[J=0]) with M the chi_b mass, provides information on the nature of the bbbar confining potential. We find r(1P)=0.54+/-0.02+/-0.02. This value is in conflict with the previous world average, but more consistent with the theoretical expectation that r(1P)<r(2P); i.e., that this mass splittings ratio is smaller for the chi_b(1P) triplet than for the chi_b(2P) triplet.Comment: 11 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Radiative Decay Modes of the D0D^{0} Meson

Using data recorded by the CLEO-II detector at CESR we have searched for four radiative decay modes of the $D^0$ meson: $D^0\to\phi\gamma$, $D^0\to\omega\gamma$, $D^0\to\bar{K}^{*}\gamma$, and $D^0\to\rho^0\gamma$. We obtain 90% CL upper limits on the branching ratios of these modes of $1.9\times 10^{-4}$, $2.4\times 10^{-4}$, $7.6\times 10^{-4}$ and $2.4\times 10^{-4}$ respectively.Comment: 15 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Improved Measurement of the Pseudoscalar Decay Constant fDsf_{D_{s}}

We present a new determination of the Ds decay constant, f_{Ds} using 5 million continuum charm events obtained with the CLEO II detector. Our value is derived from our new measured ratio of widths for Ds -> mu nu/Ds -> phi pi of 0.173+/- 0.021 +/- 0.031. Taking the branching ratio for Ds -> phi pi as (3.6 +/- 0.9)% from the PDG, we extract f_{Ds} = (280 +/- 17 +/- 25 +/- 34){MeV}. We compare this result with various model calculations.Comment: 23 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

The Discovery Potential of a Super B Factory

The Proceedings of the 2003 SLAC Workshops on flavor physics with a high luminosity asymmetric e+e- collider. The sensitivity of flavor physics to physics beyond the Standard Model is addressed in detail, in the context of the improvement of experimental measurements and theoretical calculations.Comment: 476 pages. Printed copies may be obtained by request to [email protected] . arXiv admin note: v2 appears to be identical to v

A Study of Time-Dependent CP-Violating Asymmetries and Flavor Oscillations in Neutral B Decays at the Upsilon(4S)

We present a measurement of time-dependent CP-violating asymmetries in neutral B meson decays collected with the BABAR detector at the PEP-II asymmetric-energy B Factory at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center. The data sample consists of 29.7 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ recorded at the $\Upsilon(4S)$ resonance and 3.9 ${\rm fb}^{-1}$ off-resonance. One of the neutral B mesons, which are produced in pairs at the $\Upsilon(4S)$, is fully reconstructed in the CP decay modes $J/\psi K^0_S$, $\psi(2S) K^0_S$, $\chi_{c1} K^0_S$, $J/\psi K^{*0}$ ($K^{*0}\to K^0_S\pi^0$) and $J/\psi K^0_L$, or in flavor-eigenstate modes involving $D^{(*)}\pi/\rho/a_1$ and $J/\psi K^{*0}$ ($K^{*0}\to K^+\pi^-$). The flavor of the other neutral B meson is tagged at the time of its decay, mainly with the charge of identified leptons and kaons. The proper time elapsed between the decays is determined by measuring the distance between the decay vertices. A maximum-likelihood fit to this flavor eigenstate sample finds $\Delta m_d = 0.516\pm 0.016 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.010 {\rm (syst)} {\rm ps}^{-1}$. The value of the asymmetry amplitude $\sin2\beta$ is determined from a simultaneous maximum-likelihood fit to the time-difference distribution of the flavor-eigenstate sample and about 642 tagged $B^0$ decays in the CP-eigenstate modes. We find $\sin2\beta=0.59\pm 0.14 {\rm (stat)} \pm 0.05 {\rm (syst)}$, demonstrating that CP violation exists in the neutral B meson system. (abridged)Comment: 58 pages, 35 figures, submitted to Physical Review

Further Search for the Two-Photon Production of the Glueball Candidate fJ(2220)f_{J}(2220)

The CLEOII detector at the Cornell e+ e- storage ring CESR has been used to search for the two-photon production of the $f_J(2220)$ decaying into pi+ pi-. No evidence for a signal is found in data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 4.77/fb and a 95% CL upper limit on $\Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{pi+ pi-}$ of 2.5 eV is set. If this result is combined with the BES Collaboration's measurement of $f_J(2220) -> pi+ pi-$ in radiative $J/\psi$ decay, a 95% CL lower limit on the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ of 73 is obtained. If the recent CLEO result for \Gamma_{two-photon} * BR{\K_S K_S} is combined with the present result, the stickiness of the $f_J(2220)$ is found to be larger than 102 at the 95% CL. These results for the stickiness (the ratio of the probabilities for two-gluon coupling and two-photon coupling) provide further support for a substantial neutral parton content in the $f_J(2220)$.Comment: 8 pages, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Measurement of Br(D0→K−π+)Br(D^{0}\to K^{-}\pi^{+}) using Partila Reconstruction of Bˉ→D∗+Xℓ−νˉ\bar{B}\to D^{*+}X\ell^{-}\bar{\nu}

We present a measurement of the absolute branching fraction for $D^0 -> K^- pi^+$ using the reconstruction of the decay chain $Bbar -> D^{*+} X l^- nubar$, $D^{*+} -> D^0 pi^+$ where only the lepton and the low-momentum pion from the $D^{*+}$ are detected. With data collected by the CLEO II detector at the Cornell Electron Storage Ring, we have determined $Br(D^0 -> K^- pi^+)= [3.81 +- 0.15(stat.) +- 0.16(syst.)]$.Comment: 10 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

First Observation of τ→3πηντ\tau\to 3\pi\eta\nu_{\tau} and τ→f1πντ\tau\to f_{1}\pi\nu_{\tau} Decays

We have observed new channels for $\tau$ decays with an $\eta$ in the final state. We study 3-prong tau decays, using the $\eta\to\gamma\gamma$ and \eta\to 3\piz decay modes and 1-prong decays with two \piz's using the $\eta\to\gamma\gamma$ channel. The measured branching fractions are \B(\tau^{-}\to \pi^{-}\pi^{-}\pi^{+}\eta\nu_{\tau}) =(3.4^{+0.6}_{-0.5}\pm0.6)\times10^{-4} and \B(\tau^{-}\to \pi^{-}2\piz\eta\nu_{\tau} =(1.4\pm0.6\pm0.3)\times10^{-4}. We observe clear evidence for $f_1\to\eta\pi\pi$ substructure and measure \B(\tau^{-}\to f_1\pi^{-}\nu_{\tau})=(5.8^{+1.4}_{-1.3}\pm1.8)\times10^{-4}. We have also searched for $\eta'(958)$ production and obtain 90% CL upper limits \B(\tau^{-}\to \pi^{-}\eta'\nu_\tau)<7.4\times10^{-5} and \B(\tau^{-}\to \pi^{-}\piz\eta'\nu_\tau)<8.0\times10^{-5}.Comment: 11 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN

Limit on the Two-Photon Production of the Glueball Candidate fJ(2220)f_{J}(2220) at CLEO

We use the CLEO detector at the Cornell electron-positron storage ring, CESR, to search for the two-photon production of the glueball candidate f_J(2220) in its decay to K_s K_s. We present a restrictive upper limit on the product of the two-photon partial width and the K_s K_s branching fraction. We use this limit to calculate a lower limit on the stickiness, which is a measure of the two-gluon coupling relative to the two-photon coupling. This limit on stickiness indicates that the f_J(2220) has substantial glueball content.Comment: 9 page postscript file, postscript file also available through http://w4.lns.cornell.edu/public/CLN