Nanoantibodies from Llamas

In 2008, we stumbled upon a new class of antibody from the literature--the heavy chain-only IgG antibodies from camelids like llamas, from which single-domain antibodies (VHH, nanobodies) could be isolated and used to bind targets in all new fashions. Since then, my team has meticulously built a process to find the best of them to solve some of the toughest biomedical problems, including cancers, aging, and inflammation. Now, we are, for the first time, turning these special antibodies, fused with our brightest fluorescent proteins, into powerful signaling molecules to detect SARS-CoV-2. We are also making them into weapons to against the pandemic infection as well as the symptoms of COVID-19 patients.

Jiwu Wang, PhD