Nanobodies as Novel Reagents for Accurate and Rapid Identification of Viral Pathogens in Specialty Crop Plants

The cost of worldwide crop losses due to plant diseases is estimated at $60 billion annually. The increase in international commerce could accelerate the spread of foreign diseases from one region to another. Early and accurate detection of pant viruses in infested seeds and plants is crucial to virus prevention, containment and eradication. Our mid-term objective is to develop these antibodies to evaluate their usefulness for the diagnosis of plant diseases. Our long-term goal is to explore broad applications of these nanobodies not only for disease detection and prevention but also for pest neutralization and eradication after they have infected the host. It is also within our objective to develop a core competency in this area to make nanobodies commercially available to the research community and industry at large because only through community-wide studies and the acceptance by key stakeholders could the full benefits of this exciting technology be harnessed and realized. (Nanobody is a registered trademark of Ablynx NV, Belgium.)