Image: envato
The human body uses antibodies to fight disease. These antibodies are proteins produced by the immune system, and they are found naturally in the bloodstream. In experiments now under way, a wide range of animal species is being used to understand and produce antibodies that can fight the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. According to an article published in Inverse, the American company SAB Biotherapeutics is using cows to produce human antibodies that can tackle the coronavirus. Cows were chosen for the task because their large size makes it possible to produce very large quantities of human antibodies.
Alongside these experiments, researchers at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in the United States are carrying out further studies in the field. Recently, they used genetically modified mice to produce antibodies, in an attempt to pinpoint the ideal antibody mixture for tackling the coronavirus. Studies of the unique antibodies produced by specific animals can also help scientists better understand how the human immune system works.
The Karolinska Institute in Sweden is currently working on adapting antibodies produced by alpacas for use as a treatment in humans. Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin are taking a similar approach, using llamas instead of alpacas. Unlike humans, llamas and alpacas naturally produce two separate types of antibodies. One of them is much smaller than the human antibody, a feature that makes it more effective at neutralizing viruses than its human counterpart.
EARA news digest
Translation: Let the Patients Live