Nanobodies in the limelight: Multifunctional tools in the fight against viruses

• Antibodies are natural antivirals generated by the vertebrate immune system in response to viral infection or vaccination. Unsurprisingly, they are also key molecules in the virologist’s molecular toolbox. With new developments in methods for protein engineering, protein functionalization and application, smaller antibody-derived fragments are moving in focus. Among these, camelid-derived nanobodies play a prominent role. Nanobodies can replace full-sized antibodies in most applications and enable new possible applications for which conventional antibodies are challenging to use. Here we review the versatile nature of nanobodies, discuss their promise as antiviral therapeutics, for diagnostics, and their suitability as research tools to uncover novel aspects of viral infection and disease.

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