A research group that includes Professor Katsumi Maenaka (Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Hokkaido University), who also a faculty member at the IVReD, has elucidated the structure of the Spike proteins of BA.2.86 and JN.1, which have formed a major wave of new strains that have become prevalent this year, by acquiring more than 30 mutations in the Spike protein from the XBB strain that was prevalent last year, using cryo-electron microscopy. For more information, please see here or the following page.