This Is How Llamas Could Be The Future Of HIV Immunity

In a study published in Advanced Science, lead author Jianliang Xu, assistant professor of biology at Georgia State University used llama-derived nanobodies to neutralise the strains of HIV-1, which is the most common form of the virus. 

Xu said: “This virus has evolved a way to escape our immune system. Conventional antibodies are bulky, so it’s difficult for them to find and attack the virus’ surface. These new antibodies can do this in an easier way.”

Researchers explained that this research presents a widely applicable method to enhance the performance of nanobodies.

They said: “Nanobodies are engineered antibody fragments that are about one-tenth the size of a conventional antibody. They are derived from flexible, Y-shaped heavy chain-only antibodies—made up of two heavy chains—which are more effective at fighting certain viruses than conventional antibodies with light chains.”

For this study, the researchers immunised llamas with specially designed proteins which results in the production of neutralising nanobodies.

Xu and his team then identified nanobodies that can target vulnerable sites on the virus. When the team engineered the nanobodies into a triple tandem format—by repeating short lengths of DNA—the resulting nanobodies demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, neutralising 96% of a diverse panel of HIV-1 strains.

All of this is incredibly exciting for the future of HIV treatment and prevention.

Xu said: “These nanobodies are the best and most potently neutralising antibodies to date, which I think is very promising for the future of HIV therapeutics and antibody research. I hope one day there will be approval of these nanobodies for the treatment of HIV.”

Why llamas have been used in HIV research

While llamas may seem like an odd choice, according to scientists, they’re actually ideal.

The researchers explained: “Scientists in pursuit of effective HIV treatment and prevention have been working with animals in the camelid family — like llamas — for about 15 years. That’s because the shape and features of their antibodies make them nimbler and more effective at identifying and neutralising foreign objects, like the HIV virus.”

Incredible.