"This is one of the first antibodies to neutralize SARS-CoV-2, " said co-author Jason McLellan of the University of Texas.

The scientists came to this conclusion after retrospective research four years earlier showed that antibodies from a 9-month-old llamas camel named Winter can neutralize the SARS-CoV-1 virus ( causes severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and MERS-CoV (causes Middle East Respiratory Syndrome - MERS) for 6 weeks. Interestingly, the antibodies from Winter - now 4 years old - also help kill SARS-CoV-2 causing Covid-19 disease . Thanks to the lumpless camel antibodies, they can connect to different parts of the virus more easily, thereby effectively neutralizing the virus, according to research published on Cell magazine.

Experts hope to use anti-tumor camel antibody therapy to treat newly infected people with Covid-19 .

“Vaccines must be injected one or two months before being infected to be effective. Antibody therapy has a protective effect right after the injection, especially for vulnerable people like the elderly and health care workers. These antibodies can also be used to treat infected people to reduce the severity of the disease, ”explains McLellan.

This is not the first time llamas have been used in antibody research, according to The New York Times. Anti-tumor camel antibodies have long been used in research related to the HIV virus and the flu, and they have provided promising therapies.