In Sweden, scientists are looking to a farm animal to help them find a treatment or vaccine against the new coronavirus. Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, a medical university near Stockholm, are putting their hope in a 12-year-old alpaca from Germany. Alpacas belong to the camel family. The scientists started by recreating the so-called “spike” protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells. They then injected the spike protein into the alpaca, whose name is Tyson. The team is collecting blood samples to see whether the alpaca can develop antibodies against the spike protein. Extremely small antibodies, known as nanobodies, stick to the same part of the virus as human antibodies. In a statement to the press, the researchers called them neutralizing antibodies. If you neutralize something harmful, you take away its ability to cause harm. The head of the research team in Sweden is Gerald McInerney. He said the hope is that the neutralizing antibodies will be able to effectively block the virus protein, and thereby the coronavirus, from entering cells and spreading. The results could be used to develop drug treatments or possibly a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. While the scientific work is still at an early stage, McInerney said his team has seen evidence it could work in people.
Title: Alpaca Helps to Make COVID-19 Vaccine
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Alpaca Helps to Make COVID-19 Vaccine' data-article-id='4793'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='12104'>In Sweden, scientists are looking to a farm animal to help them find a treatment or vaccine against the new coronavirus.</span> <span data-start-time='12104' data-end-time='25167'>Researchers from the Karolinska Institute, a medical university near Stockholm, are putting their hope in a 12-year-old alpaca from Germany.</span> <span data-start-time='25167' data-end-time='29292'>Alpacas belong to the camel family.</span> <span data-start-time='29292' data-end-time='41500'>The scientists started by recreating the so-called “spike” protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells.</span> <span data-start-time='41500' data-end-time='50250'>They then injected the spike protein into the alpaca, whose name is Tyson.</span> <span data-start-time='50250' data-end-time='60583'>The team is collecting blood samples to see whether the alpaca can develop antibodies against the spike protein.</span> <span data-start-time='60583' data-end-time='71417'>Extremely small antibodies, known as nanobodies, stick to the same part of the virus as human antibodies.</span> <span data-start-time='71417' data-end-time='79083'>In a statement to the press, the researchers called them neutralizing antibodies.</span> <span data-start-time='79083' data-end-time='86458'> If you neutralize something harmful, you take away its ability to cause harm.</span> <span data-start-time='86458' data-end-time='92396'>The head of the research team in Sweden is Gerald McInerney.</span> <span data-start-time='92396' data-end-time='108813'>He said the hope is that the neutralizing antibodies will be able to effectively block the virus protein, and thereby the coronavirus, from entering cells and spreading.</span> <span data-start-time='108813' data-end-time='122042'>The results could be used to develop drug treatments or possibly a vaccine for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.</span> <span data-start-time='122042' data-end-time='133542'>While the scientific work is still at an early stage, McInerney said his team has seen evidence it could work in people.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/A.jpg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=15218 data-hint-location='29292' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/what_are_spike_proteins.wav'>What are spike proteins?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='the protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/the_protein_that_permits_the_coronavirus_to_infect_human_cells.wav'><span>the protein that permits the coronavirus to infect human cells</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/the_protein_that_gives_basketball_players_the_ability_to_score.wav'><span>the protein that gives basketball players the ability to score</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/the_protein_used_in_special_diets.wav'><span>the protein used in special diets</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/the_protein_powder_used_in_energy_drinks.wav'><span>the protein powder used in energy drinks</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=15219 data-hint-location='12104' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/what_animal_is_being_used_to_find_a_treatment_or_vaccine_against_the_new_coronavirus.wav'>What animal is being used to find a treatment or vaccine against the new coronavirus?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Alpaca'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/bat.wav'><span>Bat</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/alpaca.wav'><span>Alpaca</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/cat.wav'><span>Cat</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/rabbit.wav'><span>Rabbit</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=15220 data-hint-location='79083' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/if_you_neutralize_something_harmful_you_take_away_its_ability_to__blank_.wav'>If you neutralize something harmful, you take away its ability to <span class='blank'>cause harm</span>.</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='cause harm'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/shrink.wav'><span>shrink</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/expand.wav'><span>expand</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/fly.wav'><span>fly</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/4258/cause_harm.wav'><span>cause harm</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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