Mini-antibodies that block opioids
The NbE nanobody (in red) is able to block the receptors (in blue) to which opioids (in white, yellow and red) normally bind, thus limiting their side effects.
Image: UNIGE
Among the animals contributing to medical research, it's not often you see the llama. However, it is this animal from the Andean high plateaux which, by chance of scientific research, has provided a tiny antibody (a nanobody) capable of binding to the cellular receptors used by opioids and thereby blocking the action of these powerful drugs. This discovery, made by the teams of Miriam Stoeber, Associate Professor in the Department of Cell Physiology and Metabolism (Faculty of Medicine), and Andreas Boland, Assistant Professor in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology (Faculty of Science), has enabled them to develop even smaller molecules with the same properties in the laboratory. These new natural and synthetic substances, presented in an article published on October 9 in Nature communications, could prove far more effective than current treatments, such as naloxone, in countering the harmful effects of opioids.
For more information (in French, in Journal de l'UNIGE)
For direct access to the article: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39384768/
22 Oct 2024