MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL (11/26/2024)—The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, continues to evolve, reducing the effectiveness of traditional treatments like human antibodies. Researchers at the University of Minnesota and the Midwest Antiviral Drug Discovery (AViDD) Center are developing innovative solutions to stay ahead of this ongoing challenge.
The team is harnessing nanobodies - tiny antibodies derived from animals like alpacas - to target hidden regions of the virus that human antibodies cannot reach. These regions are less prone to mutations, making them ideal targets for nanobody-based therapies.
Recently, the researchers introduced Nanosota-9, a nanobody capable of neutralizing a broad range of SARS-CoV-2 variants. It belongs to the “Nanosota” series, named in honor of Minnesota and the nanobody technology.
The findings, published in PLOS Pathogens, were led by Dr. Fang Li, co-director of the Midwest AViDD Center and professor of Pharmacology, alongside Dr. Gang Ye, graduate student Fan Bu, research assistants Hailey Turner-Hubbard and Morgan Herbst (Department of Pharmacology), Dr. Bin Liu (Hormel Institute), and Dr. Jian Zheng (University of Louisville).
Other nanobodies in the series, which target additional critical areas of the virus, were detailed in earlier studies by the same team. These nanobodies form a strong foundation for broad-spectrum COVID-19 treatments. The team also developed a method to quickly adapt nanobodies to counter viral mutations, offering additional tools to fight viral evolution.
This research was funded by NIH grants R01AI089728, R01AI157975, and U19AI171954.