The llama microantibodies can fight the new coronavirus

In a study published in Scientific Reports on December 22nd, researchers at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) said they had isolated a group of tiny antibodies, or nanoantibodies, from a llama named Cormac, promising to fight the new coronavirus. Preliminary results indicate that at least one of these nanoantibodies, called NIH-CoVnb-112, can prevent infection and detect viral particles by grabbing the new coronavirus tingling protein. In addition, nanoantibodies perform well in liquid or aerosol form, indicating that they remain effective after inhalation.
study was led by neuroscientist Thomas J. Esparza and David L. Brody, M.D., who worked at the Brain Imaging Laboratory at the National Institute of Neurology and Stroke.
Brody said: "Esparza and I have been testing how nanoantibodies can be used to improve brain imaging for many years, and we hope that these nanoantibodies against the new coronavirus will be efficient and versatile in the fight against the new coronavirus pandemic. The
nanoantibodies are a specific type of antibodies naturally produced by the immune system of camels, and on average, they weigh about 1/10 of most human antibodies. This is because nanoantibodies isolated in the lab are essentially free-floating forms at the end of the heavy-chain protein arm, forming the skeleton of a typical Y-shaped human IgG antibody, which plays a key role in the defense of the immune system by identifying proteins on viruses, bacteria and other antigens.
because nanoantibodies are more stable than normal antibodies, less costly to produce, and easier to engineer, more and more researchers are using nanoantibodies for medical research. Since the new coronary pneumonia pandemic, some researchers have developed nanoantibodies to the new coronavirus hedgehog protein, which may be effective in preventing new coronavirus infections. In this study, the researchers used a slightly different approach to other strategies to find nanoantibodies that worked very well.
Esparza said: "The new coronavirus hedgehog protein is critical, and when it binds to angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) bind protein on the surface of certain cells, it opens the door to infection. We have developed a way to stop infection by covering the teeth of the prick protein attached to the ACE2 subject with nanoantibodies. To
, the researchers immunized Cormac five times in 28 days with a purified version of the new coronavirus prickly protein. After testing hundreds of nanoantibodies, they found that 13 nanoantibodies produced by Cormac could be strong candidates.
tests have shown that a candidate antibody called NIH-CoVnb-112 works well. Test tube studies have shown that the binding force of this nanoantibody to the ACE2 receptor is 2 to 10 times that of nanoantibodies produced in other laboratories. Other experiments have shown that NIH nanoantibodies can be directly adhered to the ACE2 binding part of the hedgehog protein.
then the team showed that NIH-CoVnB-112nm antibodies were effective in preventing coronavirus infection. To simulate the new coronavirus, the researchers genetically modified a harmless "pseudovirus" to infect cells with human ACE2 receptors using prickly proteins. The researchers found that relatively low levels of NIH-CoVnb-112nm antibodies prevent pseudo-viral infections of these cells in petri dishes.
, the researchers found that nanoantibodies are equally effective in preventing infection when sprayed through a sprayer or inhaler. "What's exciting is that, unlike most antibodies, nanoantiants can be inhaled by atomization and covered in the lungs and airfway," Brody said. "The team has patented NIH-CoVnB-112nm antibodies.
we still have a lot of work to do, these results represent new hope, " he said. Esparza said, "With the support of NIH, we are conducting in-depth studies to test whether these nanoantibodies can be safe and effective prevention methods for neo-coronary pneumonia, and to try to find out if they can be used for low-cost and accurate detection of new coronavirus." (Source: Xin Yu, China Science Daily)
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