Sharks may protect against coronavirus variants
Proteins in the shark’s immune system may protect against the coronavirus and its variants.
Scientific studies on coronavirus continue. Many scientific studies are being carried out to stop the pandemic and prevent the diseases caused by the virus. One of these studies is a new study conducted in the USA. The study is done on the proteins of sharks.
According to a new study conducted in the USA, antibody-like proteins found in the immune system of sharks can protect against variants of the new type of coronavirus (Kovid-19) and variants such as Omicron.
These proteins, known as VNARs, are one-tenth the size of human antibodies, the researchers reported. This makes them small enough to get into nooks and crannies that human antibodies cannot reach.
Researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison tested the effect of VNARs proteins on the virus in the lab and identified three of the billions of proteins that can permanently stop the virus from infecting human cells.
However, the researchers said that treatment with these proteins may not be available during the current epidemic, while shark proteins may be readily available to combat future epidemics.
The team explained that the ability of shark proteins to diagnose and treat cancers is also being studied.
