Llamas Beat Hydroxchloroquine

Belgian llamas helping fight the virus; credit T. Coppens

What do llamas do well besides pack stuff for humans? They make simple antibodies that can be stored, replicated and engineered in the laboratory. Llama antibodies are responsible for the development of an encouraging corona virus therapy.  These are called "nanobodies", and are a quarter the size of human antibodies.  Very stable, they can be introduced directly into the lungs via an inhaler. University of Texas researchers in collaboration with Belgium's Ghent University’s Vlaams Institute for Biotechnology have successfully engineered nanobodies to attach to the SARS CoV-2 virus and prevent it from entering a human cell.  Once inside the cell the virus transforms to merge with its host, allowing it replicate itself, while destroying the cell in the process. The llama nanobodies bind to spike proteins that form the virus' distinctive corona.

This is not the first time that llamas (llama glama), New World relatives of the camel, have come to the rescue of humans fighting disease. The small size of their antibodies have attracted researchers attempting to develop antibody treatments for the flu. There are biotechnology companies in Europe entirely focused on new treatments developed from llama antibodies. Llamas produce four antibodies by their immune response to flu virus that bestow protection from a wide range of flu viruses. These four nanobodies were connected and improved through bio-engineering resulting in a four-in-one antibody effective against a number of flu viruses including avian flu. Researchers were able to deliver the created antibody using a nasal mist that is effective in temporarily immunizing mice.

After injecting virus' spike proteins into a llama's bloodstream causing an immune response, the COVID-19 researchers harvested nanobodies with the correct proteins in place.  Of the twelve nanobodies compatible to SARS and MERS viruses, one, SARS VHH-72, bound to the novel corona virus.  It did not attach for a long period, making it unlikely to prevent SARS CoV-2 from entering a cell. So the scientists modified it by genetically fusing two nanobodies together causing it to stick to the virus more tenaciously.  A researcher pronounced the results to be the first known antibody to neutralize SARS CoV-2.  More work needs to be done on llama antibodies before testing them in humans.  The antibody therapy developed could be used to treat patients already infected with the novel corona virus or at high risk of becoming infected.  Thank you, llamas.