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Llama just say — this probably wasn’t on your 2025 bingo card.
A new study suggests that the long-necked, fuzzy mammals could be our secret weapon against COVID-19.
Researchers in Belgium found that special particles in llama blood could help us develop powerful new treatments that keep working even as the virus mutates.
That’s a big deal. Most existing therapies, like monoclonal antibodies, go after parts of the virus that change often. So when new variants emerge, those drugs tend to stop working.
So the scientists flipped the script. Instead of chasing moving targets, they went after a piece of the virus that rarely changes: the so-called “S2 subunit” of the spike protein, which plays a key role in helping the virus infect human cells.
To test the idea, the team turned to a mocha-colored llama named Winter.
Llamas produce ultra-tiny antibodies — way smaller than the ones in humans — that can squeeze into hard-to-reach spots on the virus.
Researchers discovered that several of Winter’s antibodies were able to clamp onto the virus’s “S2 subunit” and freeze it in place, preventing it from changing into the shape it needs to infect human cells.
In animal trials, the antibodies provided strong protection against the virus, even in small doses. --->READ MORE HERE
Scientists have discovered a unique class of small antibodies that are strongly protective against a wide range of SARS coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1 and numerous early and recent SARS-CoV-2 variants. The unique antibodies target an essential highly conserved site at the base of the virus's spike protein, effectively clamping it shut and preventing the virus from infecting cells.
The findings, published in Nature Communications, offer a promising route to developing broad-spectrum antiviral treatments that could remain effective against future viral variants.
SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind COVID-19, continues to be a potential threat as it evolves into newer variants that are resistant to currently approved antibody therapies. Resistance largely emerges because antibodies typically target virus regions, such as the receptor binding domain of the spike protein, that also frequently mutate, enabling escape from antibody recognition.
To address this, a research team led by Prof. Xavier Saelens and Dr. Bert Schepens at the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology explored a different strategy by focusing on one of the more stable subunits of the spike protein. The so-called S2 subunit is critical for the virus's ability to fuse with host cells, a process essential for infection, and it is more conserved across different coronaviruses.
A molecular clamp on the virus
The team turned to llamas (more specifically a llama called Winter). Llamas generate so-called single-domain antibodies, also known as VHHs or nanobodies, that are much smaller than the antibodies generated by most animals, including humans. The researchers identified several llama antibodies that strongly neutralize a broad panel of SARS coronaviruses. --->READ MORE HEREFollow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
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