Preliminary research suggests a tiny particle in llama blood can stop the coronavirus
Llama antibodies could neutralize the novel coronavirus, research suggests.
MarketWatch photo illustration/iStockphoto, Tim CoppensPublished: May 6, 2020 By Nicole Lyn Pesce
Alpaca your bags, coronavirus.
The race to find effective coronavirus treatments has led to an unlikely hero: a 4-year-old Belgian llama named Winter, whose antibodies show promise in blocking the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 from infecting cells.
Alpaca your bags, coronavirus.
The race to find effective coronavirus treatments has led to an unlikely hero: a 4-year-old Belgian llama named Winter, whose antibodies show promise in blocking the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19 from infecting cells.
Researchers from the University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health and Ghent University in Belgium began researching llama blood four years ago while looking for antibodies to fight the 2003 SARS virus and the 2012 MERS virus, which are also coronaviruses. And members of the camel family, such as llamas and alpacas, produce two types of antibodies to detect bacteria and viruses: one similar to human antibodies, as well as smaller antibodies called nanobodies that are about a quarter of the size. And these nanobodies are not only easier for scientists to work with, but they can also be nebulized and used in an inhaler.Related:These 21 companies are working on coronavirus treatments or vaccines — here’s where things stand
So what is it about tiny llama antibodies that make them a coronavirus killer? The coronavirus gets its name for having a corona, or crown shape, which is formed by protein spikes that let the virus break into healthy host cells. But the preliminary research finds that the petite antibodies from Winter’s blood (which were used to engineer a new antibody) can bind onto the coronavirus spikes, and block the virus from infecting cells.
“This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2,” said Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT Austin and co-senior author, in a statement.
The research team reported its early findings in the journal Cell on Tuesday. The paper is a “pre-proof” that has been peer-reviewed, but is still undergoing final formatting.
Meet Winter, the 4-year-old llama fighting COVID-19. Tim Coppens
The researchers are preparing for preclinical studies in animals such as hamsters or nonhuman primates next, and hope to advance to human trials by the end of the year. The goal is to develop a treatment to help people soon after becoming infected with the virus. Bert Schepens, who led the Belgian arm of the research team, told Reuters that negotiations are under way with pharmaceutical companies.
Related:The FDA tightens rules around antibody tests as companies talk up their value
“Vaccines have to be given a month or two before infection to provide protection,” McLellan explained in a statement. “With antibody therapies, you’re directly giving somebody the protective antibodies and so, immediately after treatment, they should be protected. The antibodies could also be used to treat somebody who is already sick to lessen the severity of the disease.”
Winter was first drafted to battle coronaviruses in 2016, when at nine months old she was immunized with spike proteins from MERS and SARS to create antibodies against those diseases. Researchers then drew her blood and isolated her antibodies. One neutralized SARS, and another showed potential for neutralizing MERS. She’s currently living on a farm in the Belgian countryside with about 130 other llamas and alpacas.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 3.68 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, and at least 257,793 deaths, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.21 million people have recovered. The U.S. continues to have the highest case toll in the world at 1.20 million, and the highest death count at 71,078.
In the quest for a coronavirus treatment, scientists are turning to a 4-year-old llama named WinterBusiness Insider•May 6, 2020
Daniel Wrapp, another researcher on the study, told The Washington Post that they were in the midst of wrapping up the SARS/MERS study when the coronavirus outbreak began. By linking two copies of antibodies that could hinder the SARS virus, they were able to find a new antibody that would bind to and neutralize the novel coronavirus.
"The work was a side project in 2016. We thought maybe this was interesting," Xavier Saelens, who co-authored the study from the Belgian side of the collaboration, told Reuters. "Then the new virus came and it became potentially more crucial, more important."
As the race to find a coronavirus treatment continues and the distribution of potential vaccines is at least a year out, antibody research has become a point of interest to counteract the effects of the virus itself.
The research from the llama studies is still in preliminary stages, however. Scientists are still conducting preclinical trials on hamsters, The Post reported. Additional studies are also necessary to determine if it is safe to inject llama antibodies into humans.
"There is still a lot of work to do to try to bring this into the clinic," Saelens told The New York Times. "If it works, llama Winter deserves a statue."
Read the original article on Business Insider
Belgian, U.S. scientists look to llama in search for COVID-19 treatment
CAMELS CARRIED MERS
Reuters•May 6, 2020
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a treatment for COVID-19, according to U.S. and Belgian scientists who have identified a tiny particle that appears to block the new coronavirus.
The scientists, from Belgium's VIB-UGent center for medical biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin, published research on Tuesday in the journal Cell, with the llama in Belgium central to their studies.
The group began four years ago looking into antibodies that might counter the SARS virus, which spread in 2003, and the MERS virus that flared up in 2012.
"The work was a side project in 2016. We thought maybe this was interesting," said Xavier Saelens, joint leader of the Belgian part of the collaboration. "Then the new virus came and it became potentially more crucial, more important."
Winter, the llama, was given safe versions of the SARS and MERS viruses and samples of its blood were later taken.
Llamas and other members of camel family are distinct in creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies, with which scientists can more easily work.
The Belgian part of the research team, also led by Bert Schepens, identified fragments of the smaller antibodies, known as nanobodies, to see which bound most strongly to the virus.
Saelens describes the new coronavirus as the cousin of the SARS virus. Both have a corona, or crown, shape with protein spikes, onto which an antibody can latch.
The team intend to begin tests on animals, with a view to allowing trials with humans to begin by the end of the year. Saelens said negotiations were under way with pharmaceutical companies.
The research is not the first into nanobodies derived from camels or llamas. French group Sanofi paid 3.9 billion euros ($4.23 billion) in 2018 to buy Ghent-based nanobody specialist
company Ablynx. ($1 = 0.9227 euros)
Kathryn Krawczyk,The Week•May 6, 2020
Llamas: They're more than just the cuddly creatures that inspired everything T.J. Maxx sells.
These squishable-when-they're-not-spitting camelids hold antibodies that could be the key to treating COVID-19, scientists suggested in a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell. Llamas' antibodies are known for their ability to neutralize viruses, and when tested against the new coronavirus, proved effective in doing so once again, the study says.
While humans produce just one set of antibodies when they get sick, llamas make two: one that's around the size of human antibodies, and one that's much smaller. Those smaller antibodies are usually better at accessing the tiny holes in viruses' spike proteins and eradicating them, The New York Times describes.
So scientists turned to a dark brown llama named Winter, who lives in Belgium and was used to develop treatments for the SARS and MERS viruses back when she was nine months old. Winter, now 4 years old, was injected with spike proteins from the new coronavirus. After six weeks, scientists took a blood sample from Winter, and found that her antibodies appeared to neutralize COVID-19 — a first for any living creature.
Scientists now suggest linking two tiny llama antibodies together and safely distributing them to humans could be an effective way of treating coronavirus and mitigating its devastating effects.
So what is it about tiny llama antibodies that make them a coronavirus killer? The coronavirus gets its name for having a corona, or crown shape, which is formed by protein spikes that let the virus break into healthy host cells. But the preliminary research finds that the petite antibodies from Winter’s blood (which were used to engineer a new antibody) can bind onto the coronavirus spikes, and block the virus from infecting cells.
“This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2,” said Jason McLellan, associate professor of molecular biosciences at UT Austin and co-senior author, in a statement.
The research team reported its early findings in the journal Cell on Tuesday. The paper is a “pre-proof” that has been peer-reviewed, but is still undergoing final formatting.
Meet Winter, the 4-year-old llama fighting COVID-19. Tim Coppens
The researchers are preparing for preclinical studies in animals such as hamsters or nonhuman primates next, and hope to advance to human trials by the end of the year. The goal is to develop a treatment to help people soon after becoming infected with the virus. Bert Schepens, who led the Belgian arm of the research team, told Reuters that negotiations are under way with pharmaceutical companies.
Related:The FDA tightens rules around antibody tests as companies talk up their value
“Vaccines have to be given a month or two before infection to provide protection,” McLellan explained in a statement. “With antibody therapies, you’re directly giving somebody the protective antibodies and so, immediately after treatment, they should be protected. The antibodies could also be used to treat somebody who is already sick to lessen the severity of the disease.”
Winter was first drafted to battle coronaviruses in 2016, when at nine months old she was immunized with spike proteins from MERS and SARS to create antibodies against those diseases. Researchers then drew her blood and isolated her antibodies. One neutralized SARS, and another showed potential for neutralizing MERS. She’s currently living on a farm in the Belgian countryside with about 130 other llamas and alpacas.
As of Wednesday morning, there were 3.68 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, and at least 257,793 deaths, according to data aggregated by Johns Hopkins University. More than 1.21 million people have recovered. The U.S. continues to have the highest case toll in the world at 1.20 million, and the highest death count at 71,078.
In the quest for a coronavirus treatment, scientists are turning to a 4-year-old llama named WinterBusiness Insider•May 6, 2020
A llama named Winter is seen in this undated photo released
by the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology in Ghent,
Belgium on May 5, 2020.
VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology/Handout via Reuters
Research from Belgian and US scientists suggests that a four-year-old llama named Winter and 130 other llamas may hold the key to neutralizing the effects of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Scientists from Belgium's VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin found that Winter was successfully immunized from the spike proteins of the SARS and MERS virus by producing a special kind of camelid antibody.
The findings could be applied to the COVID-19 coronavirus — which is a cousin of the SARS virus — and offer early promise as to the potential Winter's blood and antibodies hold in helping treat COVID-19.
The research from the llama studies is still in preliminary stages, however, as scientists are still conducting preclinical trials on hamsters, The Washington Post reported
VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology/Handout via Reuters
Research from Belgian and US scientists suggests that a four-year-old llama named Winter and 130 other llamas may hold the key to neutralizing the effects of the virus that causes COVID-19.
Scientists from Belgium's VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin found that Winter was successfully immunized from the spike proteins of the SARS and MERS virus by producing a special kind of camelid antibody.
The findings could be applied to the COVID-19 coronavirus — which is a cousin of the SARS virus — and offer early promise as to the potential Winter's blood and antibodies hold in helping treat COVID-19.
The research from the llama studies is still in preliminary stages, however, as scientists are still conducting preclinical trials on hamsters, The Washington Post reported
A four-year-old llama named Winter may hold the key to finding a way to treat the coronavirus that causes the respiratory disease COVID-19, according to US and Belgian scientists studying llama antibodies.
They published their findings in the science journal Cell on Tuesday, which found that Winter and 130 other llamas on the research farm produce a special kind of camelid antibody that may offer an early promise to find a way to neutralize the virus, known as SARS-CoV-2.
The researchers include those from Belgium's VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology as well as the University of Texas at Austin.
The research stemmed back to 2016; the researchers were studying camelid antibody response to the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus — which is a cousin of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — as well as 2012 MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) virus.
They found that Winter was immunized from the viruses, as llamas can produce antibodies slightly different than the ones humans can produce, which allow it to tackle the spikes of a coronavirus.
They published their findings in the science journal Cell on Tuesday, which found that Winter and 130 other llamas on the research farm produce a special kind of camelid antibody that may offer an early promise to find a way to neutralize the virus, known as SARS-CoV-2.
The researchers include those from Belgium's VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology as well as the University of Texas at Austin.
The research stemmed back to 2016; the researchers were studying camelid antibody response to the 2003 SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) virus — which is a cousin of the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — as well as 2012 MERS (Middle East respiratory syndrome) virus.
They found that Winter was immunized from the viruses, as llamas can produce antibodies slightly different than the ones humans can produce, which allow it to tackle the spikes of a coronavirus.
Daniel Wrapp, another researcher on the study, told The Washington Post that they were in the midst of wrapping up the SARS/MERS study when the coronavirus outbreak began. By linking two copies of antibodies that could hinder the SARS virus, they were able to find a new antibody that would bind to and neutralize the novel coronavirus.
"The work was a side project in 2016. We thought maybe this was interesting," Xavier Saelens, who co-authored the study from the Belgian side of the collaboration, told Reuters. "Then the new virus came and it became potentially more crucial, more important."
As the race to find a coronavirus treatment continues and the distribution of potential vaccines is at least a year out, antibody research has become a point of interest to counteract the effects of the virus itself.
The research from the llama studies is still in preliminary stages, however. Scientists are still conducting preclinical trials on hamsters, The Post reported. Additional studies are also necessary to determine if it is safe to inject llama antibodies into humans.
"There is still a lot of work to do to try to bring this into the clinic," Saelens told The New York Times. "If it works, llama Winter deserves a statue."
Read the original article on Business Insider
Belgian, U.S. scientists look to llama in search for COVID-19 treatment
CAMELS CARRIED MERS
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - A llama called Winter could prove useful in the hunt for a treatment for COVID-19, according to U.S. and Belgian scientists who have identified a tiny particle that appears to block the new coronavirus.
The scientists, from Belgium's VIB-UGent center for medical biotechnology and the University of Texas at Austin, published research on Tuesday in the journal Cell, with the llama in Belgium central to their studies.
The group began four years ago looking into antibodies that might counter the SARS virus, which spread in 2003, and the MERS virus that flared up in 2012.
"The work was a side project in 2016. We thought maybe this was interesting," said Xavier Saelens, joint leader of the Belgian part of the collaboration. "Then the new virus came and it became potentially more crucial, more important."
Winter, the llama, was given safe versions of the SARS and MERS viruses and samples of its blood were later taken.
Llamas and other members of camel family are distinct in creating standard antibodies and smaller antibodies, with which scientists can more easily work.
The Belgian part of the research team, also led by Bert Schepens, identified fragments of the smaller antibodies, known as nanobodies, to see which bound most strongly to the virus.
Saelens describes the new coronavirus as the cousin of the SARS virus. Both have a corona, or crown, shape with protein spikes, onto which an antibody can latch.
The team intend to begin tests on animals, with a view to allowing trials with humans to begin by the end of the year. Saelens said negotiations were under way with pharmaceutical companies.
The research is not the first into nanobodies derived from camels or llamas. French group Sanofi paid 3.9 billion euros ($4.23 billion) in 2018 to buy Ghent-based nanobody specialist
company Ablynx. ($1 = 0.9227 euros)
Llamas may hold the key to an effective coronavirus treatment
Kathryn Krawczyk,The Week•May 6, 2020
Llamas: They're more than just the cuddly creatures that inspired everything T.J. Maxx sells.
These squishable-when-they're-not-spitting camelids hold antibodies that could be the key to treating COVID-19, scientists suggested in a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell. Llamas' antibodies are known for their ability to neutralize viruses, and when tested against the new coronavirus, proved effective in doing so once again, the study says.
While humans produce just one set of antibodies when they get sick, llamas make two: one that's around the size of human antibodies, and one that's much smaller. Those smaller antibodies are usually better at accessing the tiny holes in viruses' spike proteins and eradicating them, The New York Times describes.
So scientists turned to a dark brown llama named Winter, who lives in Belgium and was used to develop treatments for the SARS and MERS viruses back when she was nine months old. Winter, now 4 years old, was injected with spike proteins from the new coronavirus. After six weeks, scientists took a blood sample from Winter, and found that her antibodies appeared to neutralize COVID-19 — a first for any living creature.
Scientists now suggest linking two tiny llama antibodies together and safely distributing them to humans could be an effective way of treating coronavirus and mitigating its devastating effects.
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