Antibody catching

Project description

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) aptamers are a class of substances with numerous biological applications in biosensing, bioimaging, and as pharmaceuticals. Aptamers developed against specific biomolecules bind them, for example, in physiological fluids with a high degree of selectivity. Other aptamers, less focused on selectivity, are suitable for gaining qualitative and quantitative insights into an entire proteome and are thus able to detect and, in some cases, identify dozens or even hundreds of proteins. In this way, differences in the profile of bound proteins can be determined in human sera from healthy donors and patients.

The study aims to determine changes in the disease progression of Long COVID patients. It will identify specific patterns in the type and quantity of antibodies in the serum of Long COVID patients. The DNA aptamer used in the studies is the G-protein coupled receptor (GPCR) antibody-binding aptamer BC007, which has also been shown to bind to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and the ribonucleic acid (RNA)-dependent RNA protease. In the joint project, this aptamer is used both for the enrichment and analysis of GPCR autoantibodies that are thought to be responsible for Long COVID, as well as for the treatment of Long COVID by neutralising GPCR autoantibodies.

Description adapted from project website: see link above.