Researchers Find Llama Nanobodies Capable Of Neutralizing Corona Virus, Including The Delta Variant

JAKARTA - Israeli and American researchers have discovered a cocktail of nanobodies that can neutralize the coronavirus, including the Delta variant mutation. Nanobodies are single-domain antibodies derived from Llamas or other members of the camel family.

The discovery of the cocktail and its effectiveness in fighting the coronavirus was published in the peer-reviewed journal 'Nature' Communications', citing The Jerusalem Post Aug. 15.

"If we can come up with innovative drugs through cocktails, it would be a life-saving treatment, if given early in the disease," according to Dr. Dina Schneidman Duhovy of the Hebrew University School of Engineering and Computer Science who helped Dr. Yi Shi, research leader from the University of Pittsburgh.

"In addition, anyone who is exposed to a verified patient will also be able to use this treatment as a prophylactic (preventive) treatment," he continued.

The structural analysis of the nanobody, carried out by the researchers, provides options for the development of vaccines or treatments in the future that could work against different types of coronaviruses, and even help eradicate diseases such as the coronavirus, the researchers said.

In particular, the researchers found a cocktail of nanobodies neutralized the virus, blocking it from infecting cells and preventing the onset of disease.

This is not the first study by the research team. In December 2019, prior to the onset of SARS-CoV-2, researchers reported in the peer-reviewed journal 'Science' on the development of technologies for the identification of nanobodies using proteomics, which define functional protein networks at the cellular, tissue or whole organism level.

After COVID-19 emerged, researchers understood this technology could be effective and used it to determine which nanobodies out of tens of millions could be used to block viral infections.

For this experiment, the researchers used llamas on a farm in Massachusetts. They vaccinated a certain black llama named Wally with a piece of coronavirus spike protein. Two months later, the llamas produced nanobodies to fight the virus.

Llamas, explains Tomer Cohen, a student in the Schneidman-Duhovy laboratory, are used because they not only produce antibodies similar to human antibodies, but they also produce nanobodies that are less than half the molecular weight, able to reach areas inaccessible to humans. larger antibody.

Nanobodies can be administered by inhalation, which makes them cheaper and easier to use for treatment. The most difficult task is not producing nanobodies, but determining which of them is best for fighting the corona.

The researchers performed precise structural mapping to select eight nanobodies, some of which they showed binding to spike-free regions to which normal antibodies had no access at all. Researchers were also able to show that some of the nanobodies worked against the Alpha and Delta variants, and may work against other mutations.

"Finding this mechanism is critical in preventing viruses from entering cells, not only for existing and possible future variants, but also for other viruses from the coronavirus family, which may develop into similar global diseases in the future," Cohen said. .

The nanobody cocktail is still undergoing clinical trials and therefore cannot be used in hospitals, Schneidman-Duhovy stressed. However, he underlined there is hope from these findings.