Llama antibody research at Royal Society science showcase

Scientists from the University of Reading and the Rosalind Franklin Institute are showcasing how their research into llama antibodies could help treat diseases from Covid-19 to cancer at the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2022.

The prestigious exhibition returns to London this week (6-10 July) and scientists from the University of Reading and the Rosalind Franklin Institute will be there exhibiting their Llamas vs. Viruses research.

The team will be offering an interactive experience suitable for all ages using video, models, games and quizzes to discover how viruses and diseases could be treated by antibodies from llamas in the future.

How can llamas help us fight viruses?

All animals, including humans, produce antibodies which recognise and fight off viruses that cause diseases such as COVID-19. 

Llamas make a unique type of antibody from which a miniature antibody, called a nanobody, can be engineered. Nanobodies are useful to scientists as they are much smaller and easier to change than normal antibodies, and are easier to grow in labs.

In 2020, a team of scientists from the Rosalind Franklin Institute and the University of Reading, injected Fifi, a llama based on the University’s farm, with a small amount of a virus (just like when humans are given a vaccine). This injection caused the llamas’ immune systems to react by producing antibodies that attacked the virus.

A few weeks after injection, a small blood sample was taken from the llamas. The team then removed the nanobodies from the blood and tested how effective they were at neutralising the virus. 

How can we use nanobodies to fight viruses?

The team altered the nanobodies in the lab to make them even more effective at binding to and stopping the virus. The nanobodies they produced strongly bound to the SARS-CoV-2 virus spike protein, which allows the virus to replicate when it enters a cell. When the nanobodies are bound to the spike protein, the virus cannot bind to cells and is unable to reproduce.

There is still much work to be done but if they prove to be effective in human trials, nanobodies could also be used to develop a treatment for a wide range of viruses, including new ones that emerge in the future. 

Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition 2022

The Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition will take place from 6to 10 July 2022 at 6-9 Carlton House Terrace, London, SW1Y 5AG.

Find out more about the exhibition on the Royal Society website.

Hear from Senior Research Technician, Hong Lin, who is responsible for managing the llama immunisations, in the video below.