Nanobodies against pathogens of pandemic potential

• PhD
• Graduate Research Masters

Alpacas have evolved one of the smallest naturally occurring antigen recognition domains called nanobodies. Nanobodies are ~15 kDa in size, highly stable across a wide range of pH and temperature, display strong binding affinities to target proteins and can be expressed with high yields. Nanobodies are being developed as therapeutics and diagnostics against a variety of viruses, bacterial and fungal pathogens

This project will characterize nanobodies against the major entry and attachment antigens of pathogens of pandemic potential to identify neutralizing antibodies. We will focus on Nipah, West Nile Fever and Ross River Fever viruses, which belong to three viral families that are represented on the WHO list of priority diseases for research and development.

Skills: Nanobody Technology, Protein Purification, Antibody Characterization, Structural Biology

Tham Lab has made fundamental discoveries in novel host-pathogen interactions and examined their molecular and structural mechanisms to drive rational design of new therapies against infectious diseases for malaria and COVID-19. Our work intersects with the fields of structural biology, nanobody technology and development of functional-blocking assays. During the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified nanobody cocktails that inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral entry and shows protection from viral infection in pre- clinical animal models.

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