Researchers have shown that small antibodies can block the Rift Valley fever virus (above) from entering cells. By Mitch LeslieFor more than 20 years, researchers have tried with limited success to engineer antibodies into new treatments for bacterial and viral infections.
Now, a team of scientists has come up with a new approach: fastening together tiny antibodies from llama blood with a type of bacterial super glue.
The interconnected antibodies protect mice from two dangerous viruses, and they could subdue other pathogens.The new work has been able to “bypass a lot of the hurdles” that stymied previous attempts, says protein engineer Jennifer Maynard of the University of Texas, Austin. “I think this will be a very general technology that