Scientists are pursuing a new strategy in the protracted fight against the SARS-CoV-2 virus by engineering nanobodies that can neutralize virus variants in two different ways.

In lab studies, researchers identified two groups of molecules that were effective against virus variants. Using different mechanisms, nanobodies in each group bypassed mutations and disabled the virus’s ability to bind to the receptor that lets it enter host cells.

Though vaccination is enabling the resumption of some pre-pandemic activities in parts of the world, SARS-CoV-2 is rapidly working its way around vaccines by mutating itself. In this study, the nanobodies neutralized three emerging variants: Alpha, Beta and Gamma.

«Companies have already started introducing the variants of concern into the construct of booster shots of the existing vaccines,» said Kai Xu, assistant professor of veterinary biosciences at The Ohio State University and a co-lead author of the research. «But the virus is constantly mutating, and the speed of mutation may be faster than we can capture. Therefore, we need to utilize multiple mechanisms to control the virus spread.»

An accelerated article preview of the study is published online in Nature.

Nanobodies are antibodies derived from immunization of camelid mammals — such as camels, llamas and alpacas — that can be re-designed into tiny molecules that mimic human antibody structures and functions.

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Materials provided by Ohio State University. Original written by Emily Caldwell. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.