Antibody-like proteins discovered in a shark’s immune system may act as a natural COVID killer, preventing not only the virus that causes it but other versions like Omicron, which is presently spreading around the world.
The proteins, known as VNARs, are one-tenth the size of human antibodies, allowing them to ‘go into nooks and crannies that human antibodies cannot access,’ according to Aaron LeBeau, a pathology professor at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who helped lead the study.
From a pool of billions, LeBeau and his team found three candidate VNARs that effectively prevented the virus from invading human cells.
The novel VNARs will not be available as prophylactic during the current coronavirus epidemic, but the team is creating shark proteins to tackle future outbreaks, according to the researchers.
On March 11, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19, the disease caused by the SARS-CoV-2, a pandemic.
From then, the virus took hold of the world – shuttering businesses and forcing people into their homes for months.
Although lockdowns have since eased worldwide, the coronavirus is still running rampant and is mutating into new variants that are harder to stop from spreading.
