Monkeys Develop Antibodies For New Coronavirus According To Vaccine Research
MONKEYS DEVELOP ANTIBODIES – Researchers are still racing to find a vaccine for the new coronavirus.
As such, more than a hundred potential vaccines are being researched. Some of these vaccines like Remdesivir, have already begun human trials. However, during the first tests, the drug was found ineffective on humans.
Meanwhile, other vaccines were still under trial and have undergone testings with animals. In a previous report, we even learned that a llama was capable of producing nanobodies for the deadly virus.
According to an article from ABS-CBN, two studies on monkeys were published on Monday hoping to aid development of human immunity to the virus.
The study focused on an experimental prototype vaccine and whether it provides immunity to re-exposure to COVID-19. This question serves critical as the world recorded over 5 million cases worldwide.
As per the report, the study was conducted on rhesus macaque monkeys. The research was done to see whether the monkeys develop immunity from the natural infection or from the vaccine.
Senior author of the study, Dan Barouch, director of the Center for Virology and Vaccine Research at Beth Israel Deaconness Medical Center in Boston stated:
In these two studies, we demonstrate in rhesus macaques that prototype vaccines protected against SARS-CoV-2 infection and that SARS-CoV-2 infection protected against re-exposure.
In one of the studies, Barouch and his team infected nine adult rhesus macaque monkeys with the virus. The monkeys developed symptoms of the new coronavirus but later developed protective antibodies.
Afterward, they re-exposed the monkeys to the virus after 35 days to test their immunity. As such, the researchers called the experiment the “re-challenge”. Following this, the re-exposed monkeys showed little to no symptoms.
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