Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen have developed highly effective anti-coronavirus nanobodies derived from animals
A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institute in Göttingen have developed highly effective antibodies against coronavirus, which are derived from alpaca.
Maximum effectiveness against the virus and its mutations
The substances developed in the laboratory attach to the surface of the coronavirus and neutralize it. Scientists in Göttingen will soon begin clinical trials of the drug. According to them, the so-called nanobodies neutralize the virus 1000 times more effectively than other antibodies. “They combine exceptional stability and maximum effectiveness against the virus and its Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants,” said Dirk Görlich, director of the institute.
Miniature antibodies can withstand very high temperatures, as well as stay in the body long enough to be effective. Nanobodies that are resistant to temperature changes are also easier to manufacture and store. In this way, the drug can be produced cheaply and quickly in large quantities to meet the large global demand for drugs against Covid-19.
This would not have been possible without Brita, Nora and Xenia
“Nanobodies are derived from alpacas and are significantly smaller and simpler than other antibodies,” explains Görlich. The research team injected several times the three alpacas Brita, Nora and Xenia from the herd at the Max Planck Institute with part of the coronavirus protein, the scientists explain. The animals build antibodies, and very little blood is taken from them in the end. “The next steps are done with the help of enzymes, bacteria, so-called bacteriophages and yeast.”
The material has been published HERE >>
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