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WASHINGTON (Reuters) – US scientists have sought an unexpected ally in their efforts to develop a new flu treatment.
Researchers used llamas to produce a treatment that can fight against all influenza strains, including all new ones.
The flu virus is one of the most difficult viruses we face because it can constantly develop its shape. This is why a new vaccine is needed every winter, sometimes losing its effectiveness.
Scientists are constantly looking for a way to eliminate all types of flu, regardless of the strain or extent of its transformation.
This is the role of the llama, which produces strikingly accurate antibodies to our body.
The antibodies produced by our body tend to attack the superficial parts of the virus, and that's the part that can easily change.
But antibodies in llamas, which accurately mimic their size, can reach a procedure that the flu virus can not change.
The research team at the Scripps Research Institute in California is bringing together a number of llamas of several types of flu to stimulate the immune system's response.
The team examined the blood of the lamas to find the most potent antibodies that can attack the largest number of influenza strains.
The scientists chose four specific objects and then started to form their own set of compound antibodies.
Antibodies were tested in mice with lethal doses of influenza.
"There are 60 different types of viruses used in the experiment," said Ian Wilson, one of the researchers in the study, for the BBC. "One type has not been eradicated, a type of virus that does not infect humans."
"The goal here is to discover something that can work from one season to the next, as well as your potential pandemic fevers when they arise," he said.
The new study, published in the journal Science, is in the early stages of research. The researchers want to perform more tests before starting their experiments on humans.
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