In the world of monoclonal antibodies, being small is a big deal. Smaller antibodies and antibody fragments can penetrate solid tumors that would be inaccessible to larger antibodies, and some can even make it across the blood-brain barrier. That’s why it’s exciting that researchers at the University of Bath and UCB (a Belgian biotech company) have designed extra-small antibody fragments from cows.
My family’s dog, Rory, has always been weird. He will start screaming if, while running around the house like a maniac, he accidentally stubs his toe. He loves eating carrots. He gets jealous if two people are hugging and he isn’t included. He will only lie down on the softest pillow on the couch. He likes to sit on our laps after we’ve eaten dinner and flops over with wild abandon, confident that someone will catch him before he falls. He has been known to collect items such as books, shoes, and pencils in a particular corner of the living room. He is exceptionally food motivated and sometimes obnoxious in his relentless pursuit of affection.
If you’ve been following biomedical news on the novel coronavirus over the last several months, there’s a good chance you’ve heard about the potential for antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients (convalescent antibodies) to help fight the virus and provide temporary immunity to healthcare workers and other persons at high risk of contracting the virus.