On Dec. 7, 2021, Rockefeller University scientists announced a study had demonstrated the therapeutic potential of an unusual class of immune proteins: miniature antibodies called nanobodies, derived from llamas.

Rockefeller scientists and their colleagues at the Seattle Children’s Research Institute selected a repertoire of over one hundred nanobodies based on their potency and ability to target different parts of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. Produced by immunized llamas, the nanobodies were shown to neutralize the original coronavirus and several of its variants, including Delta, with high efficacy in lab tests.

The findings were published in the journal eLife.