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Strangle COVID with an Inhaler?
[Fierce Biotech] Just weeks after ExeVir Bio was spun out of a Belgian research institute to develop a llama-inspired antibody treatment for COVID-19, a rival effort has sprung up at the University of California, San Francisco. Now, the UCSF team is reporting promising preclinical results for its aerosol formulation—and suggesting it could be used as a self-administered form of protection against the virus. Llamas and other camelids fight off pathogens like viruses with tiny antibodies called single-domain antibodies or "nanobodies." The UCSF team used protein engineering to make a synthetic nanobody that prevents the spike protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, from binding to healthy cells and infecting them.In tests against the live virus in the lab, an aerosolized form of the nanobody rendered SARS-CoV-2 incapable of binding to the ACE2 receptor on healthy cells that line airways. The synthetic nanobody remained functional after it was freeze-dried, exposed to heat and aerosolized, they reported (PDF) in the preprint journal bioRxiv . The UCSF team dubbed the aerosol formulation "AeroNabs." UCSF’s Walter said the llama-inspired AeroNabs could be used as a sort of personal protective equipment, a "stopgap" until the vaccines become available. UCSF is planning human trials and is in discussions with partners who could provide manufacturing and distribution support. Posted by: Bobby 2020-08-18 |
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