JHU Med Scientists Create Nanobody That Can Punch Through Tough Brain Cells

Proteins called antibodies help the immune system find and attack foreign pathogens. Mini versions of antibodies, called nanobodies — natural compounds in the blood of animals such as llamas and sharks — are being studied to treat autoimmune diseases and cancer. Now, Johns Hopkins Medicine researchers have helped develop a nanobody capable of getting through the tough exterior of brain cells and untangling misshapen proteins that lead to Parkinson’s disease, Lewy body dementia, and other neurocognitive disorders caused by the damaging protein.

“The success of PFFNB2 in binding harmful alpha-synuclein clumps in increasingly complex environments indicates that the nanobody could be key to helping scientists study these diseases and eventually develop new treatments” says Mao, associate professor of neurology.

The research results are published in this article.

Read the full article at JHU News.