The llama's name is Winter and since she was born in 2016 at Ghent University in Belgium research farm. All of her life, Winter has been studied from afar by University of Texas Associate Professor of Molecular Biosciences Jason McLellan and his team of researchers. She has underdone a series of four injections of the spike proteins from the agents that cause MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome) and SARS (Severe acute respiratory syndrome.) The injections are not an infectious agent and have not made Winter, who lives in a herd, ill. Small blood samples have been taken from Winter over the years.UT Molecular Biosciences PhD candidate Daniel Wrapp says while humans who have recovered produce antibodies, llamas make nanobodies, which are about half the size of antibodies. Plasma made from the blood of people who have recovered from Covid-19 is being used to help very ill patients. Wrapp says what the llamas make may be better. "Because of that diminished size, they show enhanced stability and they're also able to bind to smaller nooks and crannies that a larger antibody wouldn't have access to. And because of that they have some really interesting potential therapeutic implications."He says these antibodies are reactive against the Covid-19 virus because it's so similar to the SARS-CoV virus. That outbreak started in 2002-2003.He says in a human, this could shorten the length and severity of symptoms. Clinical trials are underwayWrapp says they are in pre-clinical trials in hamsters. If they looks good they could move to non-human primates.If that works they could have an approved treatment for humans in a year is a year away.
UT Researchers And Llama Join Forces To Find Covid-19 Treatment
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By Barbara Schwarz
May 08, 2020
May 08, 2020 05:34 AM
