Llamas may hold the key to an effective coronavirus treatment

(Image credit: iStock/andreanord)

last updated 6 May 2020

Llamas: They're more than just the cuddly creatures that inspired everything T.J. Maxx sells.

These squishable-when-they're-not-spitting camelids hold antibodies that could be the key to treating COVID-19, scientists suggested in a study published Tuesday in the journal Cell. Llamas' antibodies are known for their ability to neutralize viruses, and when tested against the new coronavirus, proved effective in doing so once again, the study says.

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So scientists turned to a dark brown llama named Winter, who lives in Belgium and was used to develop treatments for the SARS and MERS viruses back when she was nine months old. Winter, now 4 years old, was injected with spike proteins from the new coronavirus. After six weeks, scientists took a blood sample from Winter, and found that her antibodies appeared to neutralize COVID-19 — a first for any living creature.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.

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