A handful of animals make a pared-down version of these pathogen-fighting proteins of our immune system. Scientists hope to harness them as treatments for ills from cancer to Covid, for tracking cells in the body, and more.
Camels, llamas, alpacas, sharks, rays and their relatives make unusual antibodies that researchers are investigating for studying — and fighting — human diseases.Every four months, pathologist Aaron LeBeau scoops into a net one of the five nurse sharks he keeps in his University of Wisconsin lab. Then he carefully administers a shot to the animal, much like a pediatrician giving a kid a vaccine.
“They can get into little nooks and crannies of different proteins that human antibodies cannot access,” LeBeau says. Human blood seemed too risky to work with, given concerns at the time about potential HIV exposure, and the students didn’t want to kill a mouse. But the students’ professor, the late Raymond Hamers, happened to be studying sleeping sickness in large animals. He gave the students some blood from a camel, says immunologist Serge Muyldermans, who was then a post-doctoral researcher at the university.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
The 12 Best Body Washes for Men, From Blemish Fighters to Exfoliating WondersAmp up your skincare game with body washes that go beyond drugstore basics. From exfoliating to blemish-battling, here are the 12 best body washes tailored for men.
Read more »
Dear Abby: Woman wonders how to approach her husband about his search historyI discovered that he watches a lot of porn. I don’t think it’s a big deal because I know many men and women do.
Read more »
“Going Where No Primate Has Gone Before”: Scientists Identify New Species of Near-PrimatesThe fossils were found on Ellesmere Island, located in Nunavut, Canada, within sedimentary layers associated with the early Eocene epoch, potentially providing insight into how ecosystems may evolve in the years to come. Researchers at the University of Kansas have identified two sister species o
Read more »
The Complete List of Genius Black Inventors, Scientists and Engineers That Changed the WorldMany Black Americans have overcome socio-economic and personal tragedies to lead stellar careers. Here we celebrate their contributions to the world and, in some cases, honor their great sacrifices.
Read more »
Scientists unlock secrets of Earth's wickedly hot innermost realmIn Jules Verne's classic 1864 novel 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' adventurers descend through an Icelandic volcano into a vast underground world populated by prehistoric creatures as they explore our planet's interior. Researchers on Tuesday said an intensive study of Earth's deep interior, based on the behavior of seismic waves from large earthquakes, confirmed the existence of a distinct structure inside our planet's inner core - a wickedly hot innermost solid ball of iron and nickel about 800 miles (1,350 km) wide. The planet's internal structure comprises four layers: a rocky crust on the outside, then a rocky mantle, an outer core made of magma and a solid inner core.
Read more »
Scientists unlock secrets of Earth's wickedly hot innermost realmIn Jules Verne's classic 1864 novel 'Journey to the Center of the Earth,' adventurers descend through an Icelandic volcano into a vast underground world populated by prehistoric creatures as they explore our planet's interior. The actual center of the Earth is nothing like this fanciful depiction - and in some ways is even more dramatic.
Read more »