Study finds antibodies produced by llamas can successfully neutralize dozens of different HIV strains

Dec 19, 2014 07:57 GMT  ·  By
Researchers say llamas might hold the key to life-saving HIV vaccine
5 photos
   Researchers say llamas might hold the key to life-saving HIV vaccine

Scientists have been doing their best to come up with an HIV vaccine for years now. It just so happens that, according to an international team of scientists, it's llamas that appear to hold the key to developing such a vaccine.

That's right, llamas. No need to grab a dictionary and check if this word has some other meaning that you have until now been oblivious to. It actually means llamas, as in the domesticated South American camel-like creatures.

Apparently, llamas' immune system produces antibodies that can take on and make mincemeat of HIV (human immunodeficiency virus). In doing so, these antibodies help prevent the onset of AIDS (acquired immune deficiency syndrome), which is the disease caused by HIV.

How llamas could help fight HIV

The scientists behind this research project detail their work in a report published in the journal PLOS Pathogens this past December 18. They explain that, as part of their investigation, they inoculated several llamas with HIV genetic material.

The researchers then closely monitored the animals and kept tabs on how their bodies responded to the presence of the HIV genetic material, Science Daily informs. As detailed in the journal PLOS Pathogens, the animals' immune system got to work neutralizing the threat.

The scientists say that, all in all, they successfully zoomed in on as many as four llama antibodies that can neutralize HIV. What's more, it is understood that, when used in combination, these antibodies can pull the plug on dozens of different HIV strains.

Thus, the researchers say that, of the 60 virus strains that they experimented with, all were neutralized when exposed to a combination of these four llama antibodies. It is said that the antibodies helped neutralize HIV by binding with the virus and keeping it from infecting white blood cells.

Not your run-of-the-mill antibodies

The scientists who conducted this series of experiments say that, when compared to the other mammal antibodies thus far documented, the ones produced by llamas to fight HIV are rather unusual. More precisely, they are somewhat smaller than the ones typically used by animals to fight infections.

It is believed that it is precisely their rather small size that enables these antibodies to bind with HIV and destroy it. What's interesting is that, according to evidence at hand, the llamas' immune system produced these antibodies as a response to the presence of HIV genetic material in the body.

Admittedly, it will probably be a while until an actual HIV vaccine that can safely be administered to humans makes its debut. Still, the researchers behind this study are quite convinced that their work on llamas will help develop such a vaccine sooner rather than later.

Llamas join the fight against HIV/AIDS (5 Images)

Researchers say llamas might hold the key to life-saving HIV vaccine
These animals produce antibodies that can destroy the virusThe idea is to use these antibodies to develop a vaccine
+2more