Mavis Agbandje-McKenna

Mavis Agbandje-McKenna, Ph.D. (April 11, 1963 – March 3, 2021), was a Nigerian-born British medical biophysicist, structural virologist, Professor of Structural Biology, and Director of the Center for Structural Biology at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. She passed away at age 57 after a long battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Dr. Agbandje-McKenna is internationally recognized as the founding pioneer of AAV structural biology. Beginning in the early 2000s, her laboratory systematically used X-ray crystallography to determine high-resolution three-dimensional structures of multiple AAV serotypes, establishing the "AAV Structural Atlas." Until 2016, virtually all AAV capsid structural characterizations were performed using X-ray crystallography, with Agbandje-McKenna's lab publishing crystallographic studies of AAV1, AAV4, AAV5, AAV7, AAV8, AAV9, and other serotypes. Using advanced imaging techniques including X-ray crystallography and cryogenic electron microscopy, her team mapped the surface structures and symmetry of viral capsid proteins, defining how various AAV types interact with cellular receptors. After 2016, her laboratory transitioned to cryo-EM technology, continuing to resolve additional AAV serotype structures. In January 2021, just two months before her passing, she published "Completion of the AAV Structural Atlas," reporting the remaining capsid structures of AAV7, AAV11, AAV12, and AAV13 and revealing clade-specific features—representing the culmination of her life's work. Beyond structural determination, Agbandje-McKenna's research elucidated AAV-receptor binding mechanisms, tissue tropism differences across serotypes, and antibody neutralization sites. Her viral characterization and identification of antibody binding epitopes on AAV capsids directly enabled development of engineered capsid variants that evade immune detection for treating human diseases including muscular dystrophies. Her structural insights provided blueprints for rational AAV vector design, enabling researchers to modify capsids for enhanced specificity, improved transduction efficiency, or immune evasion. In 2020, Agbandje-McKenna received ASGCT's Outstanding Achievement Award, the Society's highest honor. In 2022, ASGCT established the Mavis Agbandje-McKenna Scholarship and Fund to honor her dedication to scientific excellence, love for mentoring, and willingness to collaborate.

Mavis Agbandje-McKenna哲学博士（1963年4月11日-2021年3月3日），是尼日利亚裔英国医学生物物理学家、结构病毒学家、佛罗里达大学结构生物学教授和结构生物学中心主任。她在与肌萎缩侧索硬化症(ALS)长期抗争后，于57岁时去世。 Agbandje-McKenna博士国际公认为AAV结构生物学的奠基先驱。从2000年代初开始，她的实验室系统地使用X射线晶体学确定多个AAV血清型的高分辨率三维结构，建立了"AAV结构图谱"。直到2016年，几乎所有AAV衣壳结构表征都是通过X射线晶体学完成的，Agbandje-McKenna实验室发表了AAV1、AAV4、AAV5、AAV7、AAV8、AAV9等血清型的晶体学研究。 使用包括X射线晶体学和冷冻电子显微镜在内的先进成像技术，她的团队绘制了病毒衣壳蛋白的表面结构和对称性，定义了各种AAV类型如何与细胞受体相互作用。2016年后，她的实验室转向冷冻电镜技术，继续解析更多AAV血清型结构。2021年1月，就在她去世前两个月，她发表了"AAV结构图谱完成"，报告了AAV7、AAV11、AAV12和AAV13的剩余衣壳结构并揭示了分支特异性特征——代表了她毕生工作的巅峰。 除了结构测定，Agbandje-McKenna的研究阐明了AAV-受体结合机制、血清型之间的组织趋向性差异和抗体中和位点。她对病毒的表征和对AAV衣壳上抗体结合表位的识别直接促成了工程化衣壳变体的开发，这些变体可以逃避免疫检测以治疗包括肌营养不良在内的人类疾病。她的结构见解为理性AAV载体设计提供了蓝图，使研究人员能够修饰衣壳以增强特异性、提高转导效率或免疫逃避。 2020年，Agbandje-McKenna获得ASGCT杰出成就奖，这是该学会的最高荣誉。2022年，ASGCT设立Mavis Agbandje-McKenna奖学金和基金，以纪念她对科学卓越的奉献、对指导的热爱和合作意愿。