Llamas produce antibodies that can suppress the coronavirus. Scientists around the world are desperately trying to find a way to treat Covid-19 or develop a vaccine that would ease quarantine measures, including social distancing.
One potential candidate for saving humanity from the coronavirus, according to scientists, is the llama. According to a study published in the journal Cell, the key to defeating this disease may be found in the blood of these animals. The scientific study reports that researchers have succeeded in developing antibodies capable of neutralizing the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus that causes Covid-19. By blocking the spikes through which the virus enters the cell, the antibodies can stop the spread of infection. Experiments are currently being conducted on hamsters, and if successful, this method could be used in hospitals in about a year.
In 2016, Daniel Rapp, a graduate student at the private American University of Notre Dame in Indiana, began studying antibodies in the blood of llamas. He wanted to study their effect on two other coronaviruses – SARS-CoV (which causes atypical pneumonia) and MERS-CoV (which causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome). His primary goal was to study proteins produced by bacteria, fungi, and other parasites, but neither he nor his colleagues in the McLellan lab could have imagined that their research would soon be in demand. In many ways, this was possible thanks to a four-year-old surrogate llama named Winter. In 2016, she was injected for six weeks with inactivated proteins from the SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV coronaviruses. Scientists tracked the antibodies produced in a llama’s body and selected those that could neutralize one virus or another. By the way, Winter herself is still alive.
Lama Winter became a test subject. We explain quickly, simply, and clearly what happened, why it matters, and what happens next. “эпизоды” in English means “episodes”. The End of the Story Promotional Podcasts Members of the camel family (including llamas, alpacas, and camels themselves) have a useful feature: when their immune system detects a “foreigner,” the animal produces two types of antibodies. The first is very similar to human antibodies, while the other is made up of much smaller particles known as nanobodies (or heavy chain antibodies). In the current study, conducted by the University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health, and the University of Ghent, Rapp and his colleagues developed an antibody capable of blocking the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 by binding to the spike proteins on its crown. “The antibody binds to the spike, preventing it from interacting with the cell and preventing entry, thereby neutralizing the virus,” Rapp said. He added that this antibody is “particularly interesting” because it can neutralize both viruses: SARS-CoV and SARS-CoV-2. According to the researchers, these antibodies may be used in the future for the treatment of Covid-19 patients by inhalation as well as for the treatment of infected areas. The new method is intended for therapeutic use only: it is unlikely to replace the vaccine because it does not provide long-term protection. “To protect a person from infection, they need to be vaccinated a month or two before possible exposure. With this therapy, you give the person protective antibodies directly, so they are immune to the infection immediately after the procedure. In addition, antibodies can be used to treat already infected individuals to mitigate the course of the disease,” one of the authors of the study, Professor Jason McLellan of the University of Texas, quoted a scientific website, Laboratory Equipment.
The Israeli Ministry of Defense reports that it has succeeded in developing antibodies capable of combating the coronavirus. The research was conducted at the Israel Institute for Biological Research. It is reported that the antibodies developed are monoclonal (i.e., derived from a single cell clone), have no analogues, and contain a minimum of potentially dangerous proteins. The development has been tested under laboratory conditions, and the antibodies produced have successfully neutralized particles of the new coronavirus, the ministry said. However, these antibodies cannot replace the vaccine. The next step is to develop a drug to combat the coronavirus. Of course, a series of clinical trials will be required for its certification, but scientists promise that in the conditions of the pandemic, this process can be accelerated to several months. The opening document does not provide further details.