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Alpaca used in the race to find a cure

 


As scientists around the world are working on making coronavirus vaccines, Australian researchers are using alpaca to take a rather unusual route in the race to beat COVID-19.

The researchers say that the animal’s unique immune system may provide the key to a scientific breakthrough, due to the tiny fraction of the virus that causes the flow of COVID-19 into the veins ..

Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organization (ANSTO) scholars are teaming up with the Walter and Elizahol Institute to study alpaca antibodies to create treatments for deadly diseases.

Professor Michael James, one of the principal scientists at the Australian Synchrotron, The team behind the case said they are using a method that uses an alpaca nanobody, a small fragment of an antibody, a molecule that the system produces in response to an infection.

Next, we will investigate how it interacts with the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2.

As part of the study, Professor James says the alpaca was first immunized with a fragment of the spike protein – there is no “live virus” that enters the alpaca system.

“This is a protein we saw in a picture of a virus. It’s a small spike protruding from the surface,” he told NCA NewsWire.

“These spikes connect with our cells and when the virus associates with our cells we can start replicating.”

He explained that by immunizing alpaca with spike proteins, they were able to isolate Nanobodies, which could be inserted into a part of the COVID virus to block its activity.

When there is an immune response to viruses and insects, our body makes antibodies.

“If we can isolate the important parts of the antibody that attack the virus, we can use those fragments (called Nanobodies in this case) to bind the virus and prevent it from entering the cell.” Professor James said.

He explained cells as keys and viruses as keys.

“If you can close the keyhole, you have an effective antiviral treatment,” he said.

Nanobodies are so small that they can’t be seen with conventional microscopes, Professor James said.

This is why he and his team of researchers use a technique called synchrotron. Synchrotrons use a technique called protein crystallography to help identify potential antiviral drugs that can treat COVID-19.

Protein crystallography involves shining a beam of light on the antibody currently held inside the crystal to study its shape and interaction with viruses.

Professor James told NCA that the NCA NewsWire protein crystallography is one of the very few ways to see the structure of delicate and complex biomolecules down to the level of individual atoms.

This technology is used worldwide to study health and biological processes, understand diseases, and develop new targeted therapies.

But there is still a long way to go.

Scientists have just begun research that could one day turn antibodies that strike the unique virus of Alpaca into a global pandemic treatment.

“I don’t think it will be something (treatment) ready this year or even next year,” he said.

“The task we’re currently doing is understanding what’s happening at the atomic and molecular level.”

Then there are many clinical studies that need to occur to make sure it works and is safe.

Alpaca offers accommodation in Gippsland, Victoria.

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