The immune system of the alpacas offers a possible treatment against cancer
The immune system of the alpacas offers a possible treatment against cancer
The immune system of the alpacas offers a possible treatment against cancer
A work by IRB Barcelona and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel of Belgium has identified nano-antibodies in camelids capable of blocking EGF, a protein abundant in tumor cells that helps them grow.
The EGF (Epidermal Growth Factor) is a target against cancer for which inhibitors are not available. The team of researchers has identified for the first time a family of nanoantibodies - antibodies unique to the camelids derived from alpacas - that are effective against EGF and describes the molecular mechanisms of affinity and selectivity, in the scientific journal Angewandte Chemie.
"Despite the advances in therapies against the EGF receptor (EGFR) in patients, the effectiveness of these treatments is affected in the long term by the emergence of resistance," explain Monica Varese and Salvador Guardiola, co-authors of the work and postdoctoral researchers at the IRB Barcelona. "Taking advantage of an emerging biotechnological tool, the nano-antibodies, we have achieved the first high-affinity inhibitor drugs for EGF," they say.
The figure shows the binding of a nanobody derived from alpaca to the EGF protein. The scientists demonstrate the high affinity and selectivity of a family of nanobodies for EGF, a target of interest in cancer. (Photo: Salvador Guardiola, IRB Barcelona)
IRB Barcelona produced the EGF protein and its Belgian collaborators administered it to alpacas. Before this strange antigen, the immune system generated a series of nano-antibodies and identified a family as potential EGF blockers. The team of IRB Barcelona, specialist in molecular recognition between proteins, proved that some of the ligands have a high affinity and selectivity towards EGF and, with various biophysical techniques, characterized the interactions in cells in vitro and in human cancer cells.
"By injecting EGF into the alpaca we have asked Mother Nature to find some molecule capable of binding very strongly and very selectively to EGF and has found two very different but equally effective solutions for a small and difficult antigen like this one," says Ernest Giralt, head of the Laboratory of Peptides and Proteins at IRB Barcelona and professor at the University of Barcelona, who has led the research.
These drugs may be useful for patients who develop resistance to EGFR inhibitors that are currently on the market. The first step to make it feasible is to evaluate the pharmacological effect of these new nano-antibodies in cellular and animal models of cancer. (Source: IRB Barcelona)
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