Llama just say — this probably wasn’t on your 2025 bingo card.
A new study suggests that the long-necked, fuzzy mammals could be our secret weapon against COVID-19.
Researchers in Belgium found that special particles in llama blood could help us develop powerful new treatments that keep working even as the virus mutates.
That’s a big deal. Most existing therapies, like monoclonal antibodies, go after parts of the virus that change often. So when new variants emerge, those drugs tend to stop working.
So the scientists flipped the script. Instead of chasing moving targets, they went after a piece of the virus that rarely changes: the so-called “S2 subunit” of the spike protein, which plays a key role in helping the virus infect human cells.
To test the idea, the team turned to a mocha-colored llama named Winter.
Llamas produce ultra-tiny antibodies — way smaller than the ones in humans — that can squeeze into hard-to-reach spots on the virus.
Researchers discovered that several of Winter’s antibodies were able to clamp onto the virus’s “S2 subunit” and freeze it in place, preventing it from changing into the shape it needs to infect human cells.
In animal trials, the antibodies provided strong protection against the virus, even in small doses.
Better yet, when scientists tried to force the virus to mutate and resist the antibodies, it struggled. The few variants that did break through were weak and far less contagious.
“This region is so crucial to the virus that it can’t easily mutate without weakening the virus itself,” said Dr. Xavier Saelens, senior author of the study and a principal investigator at the VIB-UGent Center for Medical Biotechnology in Belgium.
“That gives us a rare advantage: a target that’s both essential and stable across variants,” he said.
The worst of the pandemic may be in the rearview, but COVID is still a threat, especially for people with weakened immune systems.
Just last year, the CDC reported more than 47,000 COVID-related deaths in the US, including over 200 children.
For years, monoclonal antibodies helped protect high-risk patients from getting seriously ill. But as the virus mutated, many of those therapies lost their edge against newer variants.
The FDA has since pulled emergency authorization for several therapies, leaving fewer tools on the shelf for patients.
“This work provides a strong foundation for developing next-generation antibodies that could be vital in combating not only current but also future coronavirus threats,” Saelens said.
Here in New York City, the virus is still quietly circulating.
The average number of confirmed cases last week was 224 per day — though experts say the real number is likely higher. There were also 14 hospitalizations per day linked to the virus.
