Holden D’Avico
Mr. Ippolito
AP Bio
1/7/20
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Neuroscientists isolate promising mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama: Preliminary results suggest anti-COVID19 nanobodies may be effective at preventing and diagnosing infections." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 December 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/12/201222081257.htm>.
“Neuroscientists isolate promising mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama” provided by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke is an article that covers the work of Thomas J. Esparaza and David L. Brody. Esparaza and Brody conduct research at a brain imaging lab at the National Institutes of Health’s National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Brody says that “for years TJ and I had been using nanobodies to improve brain imaging. When the pandemic broke, we thought this was a once in a lifetime, all hands-on-deck situation and joined the fight” (Dr. Brody). Nanobodies are a special type of antibody that are naturally produced by carmelids which include camels, alpacas, and llamas. The specific structure of nanobodies make them highly effective in recognizing and combating viruses, bacteria, and antigens. Nanobodies are also important because they are easier and cheaper to produce and they are more stable than typical antibodies. Due to their effectiveness, nanobodies have grown in popularity among medical researchers. When the pandemic broke out, researchers such as Esparaza and Brody were quick to experiment with nanobodies against the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein acts like a key that opens doors to infections when it binds to a protein receptor on the surface of some cells. The nanobodies produced by researchers work by blocking the spike protein, therefore, preventing it from infecting cells. The researchers experimented with a llama named Cormac and over 28 days, Cormac produced 13 promising nanobodies. Some later research shows that the nanobody was equally effective in preventing infections when it was sprayed. This reveals that the nanobodies can be used in nebulizers. The research team is currently awaiting for approval of their patent for their nanobody.
The nanobodies produced by Esparaza and Brody are very important because if the patent is approved and the nanobody treatment is approved by the federal government, the lives of many patients infected with COVID could be saved. Every form of research whether it be treatments or vaccines is significant in the fight against the pandemic. Until the vaccine is widely distributed and even afterwards for patients in serious condition, the nanobody treatment could be very useful. Also, for when a new virus or disease spreads across the globe in the future, scientists could model their research off of Esparza and Brody’s work. The nanobody treatment is both important now in order to combat the pandemic and help save lives and in the future when another pandemic inevitably occurs.
One strength of the article is that it explains the topic very well in order to familiarize the reader with a complex and confusing topic. The article begins with an introduction to the researchers and their field of study. The author then explains nanobodies and their importance over time. Finally, the author explains how nanobodies work (acts like a key) which helped me understand the microscopic interactions between nanobodies, viruses, and cells. One weakness of the article is that it doesn’t detail the specific experiment very well. I have never heard of this type of experiment on llamas and it would be beneficial for the author to go over the experiment. The author should’ve detailed how the experiment was conducted and how the data was collected.
Erin Foley
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Current Event 10 - Comment
Jan. 5th, 2020
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Neuroscientists isolate promising mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama: Preliminary results suggest anti-COVID19 nanobodies may be effective at preventing and diagnosing infections." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 December 2020. .
D’avico, Holden. “Current Event #10: Holden D'Avico”. Bronxville AP Biology, 5 January 2021. https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/01/current-event-10-holden-davico.html.
Holden’s review on the article “Neuroscientists isolate promising mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama” is relevant, fluid and comprehensive, making for a truly conducive review. As I read his review, I felt like I needed to be reading it and was surprised that I hadn’t already heard this groundbreaking news. Because his topic - a possible new treatment plan for COVID-19 involving camelids’ nanobodies - is so significant to what’s going on right now, I was eager to keep reading and read all the more thoughtfully. Moreover, Holden’s description of the way nanobodies work as well as how they will be used to treat COVID was concise and easy to understand. He compares the coronavirus to being “like a key that opens doors to infections when it binds to a protein receptor on the surface of some cells,” and analogizes the nanobodies to locks, blocking the virus from infecting cells. This description reads very well and makes an extremely complex topic understandable to those without extensive knowledge of biology. Finally, Holden considers the author’s good work as well as his/her room for growth, as he says that the article “should’ve detailed how the experiment was conducted and how the data was collected”. His dialectical thinking about the author’s work reminds the reader about the importance of clear descriptions and inclined me to reader further on the subject, as I don’t quite understand the experiment myself.
Despite his strong points, Holden could have improved his review with a few adjustments. Firstly, I think he could’ve done a better job explaining how the nanobodies will be used in COVID treatments. He does mention that “nanobodies can be used in nebulizers”, which implies that the nanobodies will be contained in a liquid and sprayed into the human body like a mist. However, most do not know how nebulizers work in regards to distributing medicine inside the human body, so some clarification would improve his explanation. Secondly, he could have included some background on nanobodies’ historical importance. He mentions that a strength of the article is that it “explains nanobodies and their importance over time,” but doesn’t go into it himself. There has been a lot of fear and a lot of controversy surrounding COVID treatments, so reliability and proof of safety is very vital for our weary population. Giving background on the nanobodies would get readers more interested/invested in this article, as one could actually see this treatment becoming widespread. Although it was very informative, this review could have left less room for questions if a few significant details were included.
After reading, I feel much more hopeful for the future in terms of COVID-19 treatments and the general welfare of our world. The stress and uncertainty surrounding the pandemic is what drove me to read this article, as we are constantly looking for more information that could ease the anxiety. Although the pandemic is a tragedy with long-term consequences for a sizable portion of our population, this article’s findings on nanobody treatments is comforting. The significance of what we’re currently learning in bio - cell structure, enzymes, cellular interactions - has again been reinforced in my mind by this article and review.
Annabelle Krause
ReplyDeleteAP Bio C Block Odd
Current Event 10 - Comment
Jan. 5th, 2020
NIH/National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. "Neuroscientists isolate promising
mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama: Preliminary results suggest anti-COVID19 nanobodies may be effective at preventing and diagnosing infections." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 22 December 2020.
D’Avico, Holden. “Current Event #10: Holden D'Avico”. Bronxville AP Biology, 5 January
2021. https://bronxvilleapbiology.blogspot.com/2021/01/current-event-10-holden-davico.html.
Overall, Holden wrote a very strong review of the article,”Neuroscientists isolate promising mini antibodies against COVID-19 from a llama: Preliminary results suggest anti-COVID19 nanobodies may be effective at preventing and diagnosing infections.” Primarily, Holden supplied a sufficient amount of context that allowed the reader to understand the issue without overdoing it. He discussed the scientific backing behind using nanobodies, as well as what they are and where they are found. Without this information, the reader would struggle to understand the relevance. He did a really good job of being succinct; his review was not overly verbose. He gave the reader enough information to decide whether they wished to further investigate the topic. Holden also made clear to the reader why this article and why the nanobodies are so important. He wrote that “Nanobodies are also important because they are easier and cheaper to produce and they are more stable than typical antibodies.” He explains simply to the reader that the nanobodies would allow scientists to give patients antibodies without infection, working similar to a vaccine. Lastly, he is unbiased in his review. He addresses both the article’s strengths and the article’s weaknesses, which allows the reader to make their own decision about the piece and about nanobodies.
Although his review was strong overall, there are a few things that Holden could have done to make it better. Primarily, he could have explained the relation of nanobodies to COVID-19 treatments better. The explanation of nanobodies was strong, but I got lost trying to understand if the nanobodies were a vaccine replacement or a treatment for people who were already sick. It would have been helpful if Holden had been a little more clear here. Also, it would have been nice if Holden had discussed the science behind viruses, vaccines, and immunity more. Not many people know much about these topics, and considering that this article is about the COVID-19 pandemic, it would have been helpful if Holden had provided more context in that way. I think both of these would have deepened his review and my understanding of nanobodies and the science around their implementation.
I chose this article because it is very relevant, and I am interested in the science behind ending the COVID-19 pandemic. Obviously, COVID-19 is really relevant to all of our lives, so learning about different scientific approaches to addressing COVID-19 is both interesting and relevant to my life. I think this review really made clear to me that there are lots of paths that can be taken to addressing the pandemic, not just a one fix vaccine or herd immunity. Nanobodies are not something that I had ever heard of before Holden’s review. Overall, I really enjoyed Holden’s discussion of nanobodies, and I found it highly informative.