AMETA nanobody platform breakthrough tackles viral mutations

Scientists at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai have developed a novel antibody platform called the Adaptive Multi-Epitope Targeting and Avidity-Enhanced (AMETA) Nanobody Platform, designed to counteract viral mutations like those seen in SARS-CoV-2. Traditional vaccines and treatments often become ineffective as the virus mutates, but AMETA targets multiple stable regions of the virus, making it harder for the virus to develop resistance. AMETA works by using engineered nanobodies attached to a human immune scaffold, allowing it to bind to the virus more effectively. This boosts the platform’s potency, making it up to a million times more effective against variants like Omicron compared to traditional antibodies. Lab and animal tests showed that AMETA could clump viruses together and neutralize key spike protein regions, preventing infection. The research team, led by Dr. Yi Shi, believes AMETA can be adapted to other rapidly mutating pathogens, such as HIV, and help combat future...