Nov 11, 2025
3 min read
Camel nanosomes have the same precision and stability as traditional antibodies, but at a fraction of the cost and with fewer side effects
Nanobodies could be the next big therapeutic revolution in neurology.Better known as single-domain antibodies, these are fragments of antibodies that are much smaller than their predecessors, but are stable and accurate at hitting their targets (sometimes even more so than conventional antibodies).very limited.
Shock ing the camel's immune system
The content of Nainbodies began to be 190s, when a group of the Constian is the body of the antibidies, as well as the two molecules found in these molecules available.So lighter than antioney Antioney, but can equal to antiivien antiivien.
They have been studied for their potential therapeutic applications.But it's long been thought that they weren't particularly suited to hitting the brain because their small size means they're quickly cleared by the kidneys once they enter the bloodstream, and they struggle to cross the blood-brain barrier that protects the brain, so they usually disappear from the body before they can do their job in neurons.Problems which - write the researchers in a commentary in the journal Trends in Pharmacological Sciences - but which have been largely overcome by research in recent years.
A new class of drugs
Nanobodies derived from camels are now being engineered by several research groups to optimize their ability to cross the blood-brain barrier.And this makes them extremely promising as drugs targeting the central nervous system, because they are suitable for using their small size (the part responsible for recognizing and binding antigens is 10 times cheaper than full antibodies), without negatively interacting with other groups of neuronal cells.Thus, it reduces - at least in theory - to the level of the brain today.One of the main problems with monoclonal antibodies designed to act is the risk of side effects.
“They are small, highly soluble proteins that can passively enter the brain,” explains Pierre-André Lafon, a CNRS researcher who collaborated on the article.“In contrast, small molecule drugs developed to cross the blood-brain barrier are hydrophobic in nature, a characteristic that limits their bioavailability and increases the risk of off-target binding and therefore side effects.”
The research is in its early stages
For now, French researchers acknowledge nanobodies as promising drugs, but conclusive evidence of their effectiveness is still lacking.In previous research by the same team, nanobodies demonstrated in mouse models that they could reach the brain and reverse cognitive decline associated with animal models of schizophrenia (by acting on brain circuits where N-methyl-d-aspartate is thought to be one of the possible mechanisms of the disease).Despite these extremely encouraging results, we are still a long way from being able to imagine starting trials in human patients.
In particular, more research is needed to show safety not only in the case of one-time administration, but also in long-term use.And to understand the best pharmacological properties, the residence time in the body can be evaluated, so our species has the best dose.French researchers worked to clarify many of these doubts.They are a warning to be prepared for important discoveries in the coming years.
"Calid Nanobodies will open a new era of biologic therapy that participated in the work. We think it can be a new class of drugs, halfway between traditional antibodies and small molecules."
