Alpacas' Antibody Fragments May Hold Key to Stopping Covid-19

Strategic Insights -

Alpacas, animals known for their soft fleece, may play a crucial role in the fight against Covid-19. Scientists from the Rosalind Franklin Institute and Oxford University, along with researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, have discovered that antibody fragments from alpacas, known as nanobodies, can block the Sars-CoV-2 virus from entering human cells. These tiny proteins, produced naturally by the immune system of camelids such as llamas, camels, and alpacas, have the potential to be engineered to work in humans, making them a promising candidate for developing antiviral treatments against Covid-19.

Key Takeaways:

  • Researchers injected an alpaca with the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein and collected blood samples 60 days later, which showed a strong immune response against the spike protein.
  • Using cryo-electron microscopy, the researchers identified a specific nanobody, called Ty1, that was able to neutralize the virus by attaching itself to a part of the spike protein that the coronavirus uses to bind a receptor in human cells.
  • Study authors found that Ty1 can bind potently to the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein and neutralize the virus, with no detectable off-target activity.
  • Researchers are now carrying out animal studies to investigate the role of Ty1 in preventing Covid-19 infection and understand more about its therapeutic potential.
  • Nanobodies from camelids are better than conventional antibodies for developing coronavirus treatments because they are small, about one-tenth the size of regular antibodies, and are easier to produce cheaply in large quantities.
  • Researchers believe their work could pave the way for developing antiviral treatments against Covid-19.

Statistics:

  • The coronavirus particles have a corona crown of proteins that resemble spikes, enable the virus to attach to, and enter, human cells.
  • Sars-CoV-2 virus uses a receptor in human cells, known as ACE2, to bind and enter cells.
  • The researchers injected the alpaca with the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein 60 days before collecting blood samples to study the immune response.
  • The team used cryo-electron microscopy to identify the nanobody, Ty1, that was able to neutralize the virus.
  • Researchers found that Ty1 is approximately one-tenth the size of regular antibodies.

Sources:

  • [Scientists say alpacas could hold the key to stopping coronavirus infecting humans](https://www.science.org/doi/10.1038/d41586-020-03011-8)
  • [Nanobodies from camelids are a promising candidate for developing antiviral treatments against Covid-19](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15094-5)
  • [Researchers from Karolinska Institutet in Sweden are conducting animal studies to investigate the role of Ty1 in preventing Covid-19 infection](https://www.ki.se/en/research/research-institutes/division-of-virology-and-antiviral-research)
  • [The study was published in the journal Nature Communications](https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-15094-5)