Winter the llama could have played a vital role in the fight against COVID-19 as her antibodies are synthesized for a treatment. /Johanna Geron/Reuters
A four-year-old llama called Winter may have played an important role in the global fight against COVID-19, as clinical trials start for a coronavirus therapy made using antibodies extracted from the animals.
Researchers from the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology in Ghent said antibodies taken from Winter have blunted the virulence of coronavirus infections, including variants, in laboratory testing. Now their treatment based on the llama antibodies is entering Phase 1 trials.
READ MORE:
The Taliban is 'the people's choice' claims group
The spoon revolutionizing meals in space
The technology, which would supplement rather than replace vaccines, is a potential "game-changer," according to Dominique Tersago, chief medical officer of VIB-UGent spin-off ExeVir, who said the trials were“a major milestone”for the company.
Unusually small llama antibodies can bind to specific parts of the virus's protein spike and "at the moment we're not seeing mutations of a high frequency anywhere near where the binding site is," she said.
She added that the treatment synthesized from the llama antibodies "was recently demonstrated to neutralize the delta variant, as well as all current COVID-19 variants of concern."
READ MORE: How llamas could help fight COVID-19
Clinical trials in healthy volunteers began last week in partnership with Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB, with the company expecting the treatment to be similarly effective outside the lab.
Llamas produce versions of conventional antibodies that are more stable, easier to reproduce and more versatile than those of other mammals, said VIB-UGent group leader Xavier Saelens.
Winter's antibodies are now being synthesized in a lab, so the llama is enjoying her retirement in a private art and animal park in Genk. /Johanna Geron/Reuters
"Their small size ... allows them to reach targets, reach parts of the virus that are difficult to access with conventional antibodies," he said.
Scientists had been researching the use of llama antibodies to tackle other coronaviruses prior to the pandemic, with a study released in 2016 into how they could help counter SARS and MERS.
Two years ago, French pharmaceutical company Sanofi paid $4.6 billion to a Ghent-based medical company that specializes in llama antibody research.
Meanwhile, Winter, whose antibodies are now being synthesized in a lab, can settle down and enjoy her retirement in a private art and animal park in Genk.