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A coincidence led to the discovery of a new type of antibody Antibodies are proteins that play an important role in the immune system. In medicine, they are often isolated from animal blood and used as therapeutics for various purposes, such as vaccines. A special form are single-domain antibodies, also known as nanobodies. Incidentally, the French pharmaceutical company Sanofi has trademarked this term. Put simply, nanobodies are characterized by a less complex molecular str

Alpacas and Nanobodies When we think of alpacas, the first things that pop up in our minds may be holiday farms or alpaca fleece. However, if you ask a biomedical scientist, they may have thought of nanobody, fragment of a special type of antibody. To appreciate why nanobodies are so special, we must first understand what an antibody looks like (Fig 1). A conventional antibody is composed of two heavy chains and two light chains. These chains are joined by disulfide bonds to

Alpacas are raised for their soft and luxurious fleece (fiber). Each shearing produces roughly five to ten pounds of fleece per animal, per year. This fleece, often compared to cashmere, can be turned into a wide array of products from yarn and apparel to tapestries and blankets.

The alpaca is a small relative of the camel domesticated by Andean people for its wool. They are slender-bodied animals with long legs and necks, small heads and large, pointed ears. Alpacas are covered in a soft fleece and have soft, padded feet. Alpacas are herbivorous, fleeced animals that come in a wide variety of colours – from snowy white through to fawn and chocolate browns, to ash greys and midnight blacks. Alpacas are typically curious, friendly and docile animals, s