Par
Rachel Cashert
Published on
And if a major advance against schizophrenia was hidden in lamas ? This is what Three Montpellier researchers -Jean-Philippe Pin, Julie Kniazeff and Philippe Rondard-and their team, affiliated with the CNRS, the Inserm and the University of Montpellier, revealed in the revue Naturepublished this Wednesday July 23, 2025.
Indeed, llamas have a particular type ofantibody from which scientists have just produced mini-antibodies, called ” nanocorps “, Capable of Cross the Organic barrier that protects the brain (blood-brain barrier, editor’s note), which makes them plus efficient that the antibodies used in current treatments. Treatments that have so far had a fairly limited impact: the latter only reduce certain symptoms, and act little on cognitive disorders that affect the daily life of patients.
A disease still too little known
Schizophrenia is a complex chronic psychic disease, which affects almost 1% of the world’s population and around 600,000 people in France. It is generally revealed between 15 and 25 years old, translating schematically into a disturbed perception of reality, as well as productive manifestations (delusional ideas or hallucinations) and passive (social and relational isolation).
A promising result
After injection of these “nanocorps”, scientists have thus observed a clear improvement in cognitive functions In two animal models of the disease. A single peripheral injection (by venous or muscular route) was enough to produce a prolonged beneficial effect, observed for more than a week.
These results now pave the way to a unprecedented therapeutic strategy For schizophrenia. Of the Clinical trials However, will be necessary to confirm that the cognitive improvement observed in animals can result in humans. Ultimately, such a discovery could also benefit other neurological diseases.
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