Session: Posters:

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been recorded as the third highly pathogenic coronaviruses after SARS-CoV in 2002 and MERS-CoV in 2012. SARS-CoV-2 is a new strain of CoV responsible for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The lack of an approved and effective therapeutic agent has prompted the need for the development of effective and safer antiviral agents necessary for curbing this pandemic. Although substantial success has been recorded in the quest for effective vaccine, nanobodies have emerged as a novel therapeutic candidate against SARS-CoV-2. Nanobodies are nano-sized entities derived from conventional antibodies with potential to neutralize the virus and/or inhibit viral replication. Nanobodies can also serve as a nano-size carrier platform that can deliver antiviral drugs with high specificity to the target sites increasing drug bioavailability and effectiveness against COVID-19. This poster critically summarizes the current information on the molecular biology of SARS-CoV-2, the mechanism of virus cell entry using the human receptor Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2), and the potential usefulness of novel nanobodies as a therapeutic or preventative option against COVID-19. Our results show that nanobodies could be significantly surface modified as desired to target different stages of viral replication including viral attachment, viral uncoating, viral uptake, viral nuclear translocation, and viral release. These potentials can be harnessed in a nanobody platform making it an effective therapeutic agent against SARS-CoV-2.

Nanobodies interaction with human lung epithelium and SARS-CoV-2

Nanobodies interaction with human lung epithelium and SARS-CoV-2

Mr. Chukwudi S Ubah

Doctoral Student, East Carolina University

Appearances