Pitt researchers have discovered a breakthrough in COVID-19 in the Ramananobody

Yi Shi is developing a COVID-19 treatment using antibodies from an unconventional source — Wally in Lama.

Shi and Paul Duprex, assistant professors of cell biology, Director of Vaccine Research CenterDescribed using, Nanobody Isolated from Wally’s blood as a potential coronavirus treatment on Thursday afternoon Press conference.. Nanobodies are small antibody fragments developed for treatment. Llama Nanobodies are stronger and more stable than human-produced antibodies.

Shi’s study, “ScienceOn Thursday, in collaboration with Chen Chan of Pitt and Dyna Schneidmann Duhobny of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, they discovered that these Nanobodies could directly attack the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The virus SARS-CoV-2 causes COVID-19.

According to Duplex, the lab mixed traces of Nanobodies with live virus and added a few drops of the solution to a plate of cells. A few days later, staff measured how well those Nanobodies neutralized the virus and how many cells survived. Duprex said the results so far are “promising.”

“A tiny part of a Nanobody can neutralize enough SARS-CoV-2 to protect millions of cells,” Duprex said. “This is far more effective than many other antibodies and all Nanobodies identified so far.”

The result was very encouraging.Science—One of the world’s top scholarly journals — has completed the manuscript for rapid publication. “It’s too important to sit down,” said Allison Hydrozik, spokeswoman for UPMC.

Duprex said preclinical trials could proceed very quickly due to the important properties of Nanobodies such as their small size and reproducibility. However, Duplex said clinical trials are still far away.

“”[The nanobodies] It can be bulked fairly quickly — it can be made effectively and in fairly large quantities with a standard bacterial system, “Duplex said. “The ability to increase production, which is one of the major problems with vaccines, is not that big of a problem with these Nanobodies.”

Shi added that Nanobodies also interfere with the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to human receptors.

“In this particular case, the Nanobodies above the virus block the virus’s spikes from opening and binding to human receptors,” Shi said. “That is, we can link some of the COVID Nanobodies we developed together, like the Swiss Army Knife, so if a virus mutates and escapes from one Nanobody, another Nanobody will be there and suppress it.”

Due to its small size, Nanobodies are also a better option because they are easier to deliver than human-produced antibodies, Shi said. Shi said Nanobodies could be given by nasal drops instead of traditional intravenous injections.

“They are very powerful, stable and can be used therapeutically,” says Shi. “Compared to antibodies that usually require intravenous injection, [llama] Nanobodies allow the possibility of direct inhalation, which allows Nanobodies to be delivered directly to the lungs, the major infected organ. [possible].. “

Shi added that Nanobodies can be lyophilized for transportation and storage, or stored at room temperature for 6 months, which further accelerates drug development. Shi said this could dramatically reduce manufacturing costs and increase public access to COVID-19 treatment.

The road to this treatment is long.Sea said His laboratory We have been using mass spectrometry for three years to develop techniques to help target Nanobodies of interest. After the COVID-19 pandemic began, Shi’s lab used this technology to find some of the most powerful Nanobodies that could neutralize the virus in three months.

In Shi’s lab, 50-55 days after injecting Wally with the virus spike protein, Wally’s blood was drawn to isolate a potent neutralizing antibody. Even if Wally’s antibodies were needed to provide treatment, the lab wouldn’t use llamas anymore, She said.

“we [amino acid] In the sequence, recombinant proteins can be rapidly produced from these microorganisms, so llamas are no longer needed, “Shi said. “What matters is actually the amino acid sequence of Nanobodies.”

To test its effectiveness, Shi’s lab collaborated with the Vaccine Research Center. First in the whole country Receive a live sample of SARS-CoV-2 directly from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in February. Duprex, co-author of this paper, said he was excited to work with Shi.

“The really great thing about the Vaccine Research Center is that we have great neighbors, and Dr. Shi is one of those neighbors,” Duprex said. “Whenever we needed to test how well an antibody worked and how well it confronted SARS-CoV-2, he naturally spoke to us as a neighbor’s virologist.”

Duprex said he and Shi will continue to cooperate with scientific advances that may be a cure for COVID-19.

“We meet each other and talk about science often,” Duplex said. “And that’s how science works, to convey and discuss new ideas.”