Llama antibodies? Why researchers say they could be powerful weapon against COVID-19

Friday, November 6, 2020
PITTSBURGH (KGO) -- Llamas have come into play as scientists and health experts search for more effective ways to combat the novel coronavirus.

Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine say neutralizing nanobodies extracted from llamas could be used as an inhalable therapeutic against SARS-CoV-2.
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The llama antibodies, called nanobodies, are much smaller than human antibodies, and many times more effective at neutralizing the virus, researchers say.

They can also be fashioned into an inhalable mist to deliver antiviral therapy directly into the lungs, where they're most needed.

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