Llamas may help in fight against novel coronavirus

Llamas may now provide a source to grow antibodies to the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. This work is being done through a collaboration of the University of Texas at Austin, the National Institutes of Health and Ghent University in Belgium.

The initial research was conducted on Winter, a llama in Belgium, in 2016. Researchers are evaluating a single domain antibody, or “nanobody,” being produced in llamas and trying to alter it specifically against coronaviruses.

Lead researchers Daniel Wrapp and Dr. Jason McLellan are looking at both the coronavirus strains that cause Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) and Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS). They injected the llamas with multiple forms of virus spike proteins to evaluate the functionality of the nanobodies produced by the llamas. Then, they harvested them from the llama’s blood and looked at which ones would block the virus from entering cells.

“This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2,” McLellan said.

Nanobodies are small and very stable. They can be stored for years, and can potentially be delivered directly into the lungs via an inhaler. This makes it easy to deliver to mass numbers of people without a lot of storage challenges or the requirement of a medical professional to administer it.

These nanobodies would attach to the virus at the spike protein and block it from entering cells. Viruses need to enter cells to reproduce and attack the body. They enter cells using a spike protein on their surface.

The researchers have found that in pairs the nanobodies attach more securely to the spike protein and prevent SARS-CoV-2 — the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — from entering cells. Then the body can destroy them.

Immune therapy is easy to deliver to mass numbers of people without a lot of storage challenges or the requirement of a medical professional to administer it.

The other advantage is time. Vaccines may take weeks to months to provide immunity. This antibody therapy could be effective within minutes of administration. Additionally, unlike a vaccine, it doesn’t rely on a person’s immune system to be effective.

The nanobodies can be produced in laboratories in mass numbers fairly quickly.

All of these factors make the nanobodies very promising treatment or preventative for people at high risk from COVID-19.

Dr. Julie Damron, doctor of veterinary medicine, is the medical director of Stockton Veterinary Emergency and Specialty Center. She has worked as a veterinarian in San Joaquin County for more than 20 years and is the founder of Loving Tails, an organization that assists the pets of the homeless.