Covid: Immune therapy from llamas shows promise

[Jilly_in_VA]

A Covid therapy derived from a llama named Fifi has shown "significant potential" in early trials.

It is a treatment made of "nanobodies", small, simpler versions of antibodies, which llamas and camels produce naturally in response to infection.

Once the therapy has been tested in humans, scientists say, it could be given as a simple nasal spray - to treat and even prevent early infection.

Prof James Naismith described nanobodies as "fantastically exciting".

Prof Naismith, who is one of the lead researchers and director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute in Oxfordshire, explained that coronavirus-infected rodents treated with the new nanobody nasal spray fully recovered within six days.

https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-58628689
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This is way cool! And incidentally, my neighbor with the 3 zebras now has a small herd of llamas. They're really pretty and graceful to watch.

[Deuce]

1. Will be interesting to see how human testing goes...

[Blues Heron]

2. The name "nanobodies"

is going to make antivaxxers heads explode lol

[Lefta Dissenter]

3. VERY COOL!

I used to raise llamas, so I’ve long known that they have healing qualities, but I hadn’t taken it quite so literally and scientifically! 🦙

Thanks for sharing the article, Jilly!