Blog Post Biol1020
Our good friend the llama has already provided itself useful in many ways to society. Whether as a pack animal, for its hide for rugs/clothing or even for comic relief in such films as Napoleon Dynamite and Monty Python. However, scientists are pointing towards a slightly more important use involving its antibodies.
Antibodies as we know are used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects, such as bacteria and virus'. The problem with human antibodies are their size, they are large, complex molecules that aren't very durable and have trouble finding their way around the body's tiny crevices. This is where our friend the llama steps in. Its antibodies are 90% smaller (1/10) the size of our own. This makes them more durable, mobile and most importantly able to reach areas human antibodies can't. In addition to this the nature of the smaller antibody would enable it to be taken orally or as an inhaler, negating the need for an injection. Also, in a time of economic downfall the small antibodies could also save money: Currently, antibodies are grown using mammalian cells, which are expensive. The small antibodies could be produced using bacteria, thereby lowering production costs.
Despite their promise, no one knows whether drugs using small antibodies will work in humans. The first drugs are still several years away from being approved for medical use. Ablynx is probably closest to putting a product on the market - a drug to prevent blood clots that tend to form in patients who have had stents implanted to open a blocked artery. If the drug passes all its clinical trials, it could be on the market in 2012 or 2013, said Ablynx Chief Executive Edwin Moses.
If these antibodies do work in humans, we could be closer to further treatment for many currently incurable virus' and diseases. They could infiltrate tight packed cells of a cancerous tumor, slip through through the blood-brain barrier to block the build-up of plaques that cause Alzheimer's, or settle into the crevices of joints to prevent arthritis.
Resources:
Original Article by Matthew Dalton: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123483846519396567.html?mod=WSJ_topics_obama
Licensing promise: http://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/highlights/2008/0803anti_e.html
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