A Llama Could Save Us From the Coronavirus
Animals all over are helping scientists make antibodies to help fight human disease. Yes, some of them are cute.
A llama named Winter recently made headlines when scientists announced her small-but-mighty antibodies could fight the novel coronavirus. Think of it: A llama could save us from Covid-19.
Scientists have looked at “unusual” animal antibodies — including those of camelids, the family to which llamas belong — for decades to see how they might be harnessed for human treatments. In fact, the antibodies of horses, chickens, and even sharks could fight other, non-Covid-19 human afflictions.
In working with Winter, Xavier Saelens, PhD, a molecular virologist at Ghent University in Belgium, followed in the footsteps of other Belgian scientists who, in 1993, published their discoveries on llamas’ antibodies: Unlike human antibodies, which are made of both heavy and light chains of connected proteins, llamas can create antibodies that are composed of only heavy chains, making them smaller and nimbler, better able to bind to various pathogens. In cell tests, the llama antibodies neutralized the virus that causes Covid-19, and researchers are moving toward clinical human trials for a drug that uses the llama-derived antibodies by the end of this…
