Antibody found in llama blood may help contain Coronavirus
Llama, the animal which is also called Winter and hidden in secret Belgian location, is another hope in the search for an antibody treatment for coronavirus.
Along with the rest of the same herd in Belgium, llama produces special antibodies—called nanobodies—valuable for their staying power and ability to “get into nooks and crannies” in the body. The report said.
An international team of scientists used tiny antibodies in winter’s blood to create a new antibody that prevents the proteins on SARS-CoV-2 surface, “neutralizing” its ability to spread to other cells. Their work, published Tuesday in Cell, is preliminary and would need to be proven in animal studies before it could be tested in humans. The report said.
According to Wikipedia the llama is a domesticated South American camelids and till 2007, there were over seven million llamas and alpacas in South America, and due to importation from South America in the late 20th century, there are now over 158,000 llamas and 100,000 alpacas in the United States and Canada.