How Llamas Could Help Us Fight the Flu (pbs.org) 56
An anonymous reader quotes a report from PBS: Researchers now think they're on the path to a new kind of flu protection -- one that might last longer and work against all types of influenza viruses. The source of their new defense: llamas. These furry South American mammals produce special antibodies -- molecules that mark foreign invaders in our bodies for destruction -- that can identify a huge range of elusive influenza viruses. A new study used these antibodies to target multiple strains of influenza at once, a technique that could lead to more effective flu prevention. These antibodies can survive without refrigeration for longer, which could reduce the cost and complexity of flu treatment.
The researchers behind Thursday's study fused four different single-domain antibodies into one larger molecule, held together with a human protein as a scaffold. When they injected this hybrid into mice, the antibodies kept the animals safe from a wide variety of influenza type A and type B viruses -- the two most common assailants in America's annual flu epidemic. This hybrid seemed to successfully target each of the five flu strains they tested. When the researchers injected mice with their hybrid antibody, it protected the mice from lethal doses of the flu. But the paper also explored another route of delivery: gene therapy. The researchers used a benign virus -- dubbed AAV -- to embed the genetic blueprint of the llama antibodies directly into mouse cells. This procedure allowed the mice to produce the antibodies on their own.
The researchers behind Thursday's study fused four different single-domain antibodies into one larger molecule, held together with a human protein as a scaffold. When they injected this hybrid into mice, the antibodies kept the animals safe from a wide variety of influenza type A and type B viruses -- the two most common assailants in America's annual flu epidemic. This hybrid seemed to successfully target each of the five flu strains they tested. When the researchers injected mice with their hybrid antibody, it protected the mice from lethal doses of the flu. But the paper also explored another route of delivery: gene therapy. The researchers used a benign virus -- dubbed AAV -- to embed the genetic blueprint of the llama antibodies directly into mouse cells. This procedure allowed the mice to produce the antibodies on their own.
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Re: VACCINES??? (Score:1)
Found the Drama Llama!
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winamp (Score:4, Funny)
now the llama is whipping flu's ass!
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It's hwipping the flu's ass.
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Comment removed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I call bullshit (Score:5, Interesting)
It won't be the first time llamas helped fight an epidemic.
The Mapuche [wikipedia.org] tribe in Chile kept llamas, and were exposed to bacteria and viruses endemic in their herds. This gave them greater immunity to withstand European diseases, and they suffered far less die back than other Native Americans. Their larger population enabled them to fight the Spanish to a standstill, and they remained an independent self-governing nation until 1883.
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I think the proposed mechanism is that people from cultures with exposure to domesticated animals tended to have stronger immune systems in general (either because their immune systems had to work harder, or because individuals with weaker immune systems didn't survive childhood). I can't vouch for the argument, but I have previously seen it given as an explanation for why the Colombian exchange had far more of an impact in
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How could llamas help immunize against diseases which didn't exist on the continent?
People got those diseases in the first place through animal husbandry. (Sometimes a little too liberally applied.) Animals had the precursor diseases before humans even kept animals. Why wouldn't American llamas have them too?
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Llama's are good for humanity... (Score:3)
It would also be helpful if:
- You transported food by llama to the sick
- You transported medicine by llama to the needy
- You transported people to the hospital by llama when they can't walk
- You transported the llama to the dinner table when it falls off a cliff
--
When we talk about 'smart transportation,' it is more than moving cargo from A to B. - Soren Skou
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* Llama Chameleon
* M.C. Llama
* Dumb and Llama
* Rendezvous With Llama
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And haut cuisine: Deli llama.
basic biotechnology (Score:5, Informative)
I know this sounds exotic and exciting, but the llama angle on this story is basic biotechnology. Llamas (and several other species) make simpler and smaller antibodies than typical mammals. This makes them much easier to work with, sequence, etc. When making a custom antibody, it's not unusual to choose a llama as your "antibody development tool."
There are llama farms near biotech hubs that do nothing but repeatedly inject llamas with small doses of some protein or molecule and sell the blood (packed with antibodies) back to the pharma and biotech companies.
The actual neat part of this story is the (slow, but steady) development of a universal influenza vaccine.
The big deal here isn't the camelids its the virus (Score:3)
Yes, yawn, camelid antibodies. To me the big deal here is they are doing Gene therapy to get the host to make them. Now that's kinda edgy dangerous territory.
Delivery Method (Score:2, Funny)
One of the unique benefits associated with creating the vaccine in llamas is they can spit it directly into people's faces instead of requiring pesky injections!
So that's why they sneeze at each other (Score:2)
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"The researchers used a benign virus -- dubbed AAV -- to embed the genetic blueprint of the llama antibodies..."
I saw this movie. It was called, "I Am Legend."
Vampire llamas would probably have been an improvement for that movie.
Fingers crossed (Score:2, Funny)
Antibodies (Score:2)
Antibodies, antibodies, antibodies, antibodies! [youtube.com]
Sorry...
Sure, you won’t get the flu (Score:2)
But your neck will grow really long (not to mention hairy), and you’ll have a constant, irresistible urge to spit all the time.
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But your neck will grow really long (not to mention hairy), and youâ(TM)ll have a constant, irresistible urge to spit all the time.
Since that describes 95% of /. readers already, there's no downside.
You mean, "how we can use the llamas..." (Score:4, Funny)
Seriously, the llamas are not "helping" us do shit. What, did some science guys say, hey llama, can you help us out here and the llama was like.. no problem man.
It is "how we can use llamas to help us fight the flu".
Pedantic, I know.
"RALPH" the Wonder Llama agrees (Score:1)
Just don't let a møøse bite your sister!
It could work! (Score:1)
All your Winamp downloads... (Score:2)
..don't seem so PC now, do they?
Count the L s correctly. (Score:2)
Bracing for a three el flame war.
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The one-l lama, he's a priest
The two-l llama, he's a beast
I will bet a silk pajama
There isn't any three-l lllama
Ogden Nash
You can thank... (Score:2)
Napoleon Dynamite for this discovery. Turns out feeding Tina all that ham was actually a scientific study...
Llama Man! (Score:2)
New Marvel Superhero. Geneticlly spliced with Llama DNA by a Mad Scientist in Peru......
Created to fight disease and drama on the internet!
Namesake approves (Score:2)
Given that my first name is "Carl," I approve of this discovery.
I do wear hats, but not a green one.