London: Scientists have identified a small neutralising antibody, a so-called nanobody, that has the capacity to block SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells. It has the potential to be developed as an antiviral treatment against COVID-19, reported ZeeNews quoting an IANS report.
The study was published in the journal Nature Communications.
“We hope our findings can contribute to the amelioration of the Covid-19 pandemic by encouraging further examination of this nanobody as a therapeutic candidate against this viral infection,” study co-author Gerald McInerney from the Karolinska Institute in Sweden was quoted as saying.
According to the researchers, nanobodies offer several advantages over conventional antibodies as candidates for specific therapies.
They span less than one-tenth the size of conventional antibodies and are typically easier to produce cost-effectively at scale, the report added.
Critically, they can be adapted for humans with current protocols and have a proven record of inhibiting viral respiratory infections, ZeeNews added.
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