想不到，这种“萌兽”能帮助人类对抗新冠病毒？

对冠状病毒进行有效治疗的探索促使一组研究人员为他们的研究找到了一个不可思议的盟友：美洲驼。最近，比利时根特大学的一个小型实验室有了一个新发现：美洲驼的抗体或许能助人们一臂之力。

Antibodies from llamas may help treat COVID-19. VCG

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While the situation may be improving, much of the world is still under the shadow of COVID-19 and its associated containment measures. But according to a study published in the scientific journal Cell, an unlikely friend could help defeat the virus.

尽管局势有所好转，但全球许多地方仍笼罩在新冠肺炎疫情以及相关限制措施的阴影之下。不过，科学期刊《细胞》中刊登的一项研究表明，一位意想不到的朋友或许能够帮助我们击退病毒。

Known for their long legs and beautiful eyelashes, llamas – specifically their antibodies – are believed to play an important role in the fight against the virus.

拥有大长腿和长睫毛的美洲驼 —— 尤其是它们身上的抗体 —— 被认为将在抗“疫”战斗中发挥重要作用。

Having experimented with antibodies from a llama called Winter years ago, a small lab at Ghent University in Belgium had a eureka moment earlier this year. They found that llama antibodies were able to neutralize both the MERS and SARS viruses – two strains of the coronavirus that caused previous outbreaks in 2012 and 2003, respectively.

比利时根特大学的一个小型实验室数年前曾使用来自美洲驼“冬季”的抗体进行实验，今年年初，实验室有了一个重大发现。他们发现美洲驼抗体能够中和中东呼吸综合症（曾于2012年暴发）和非典型性肺炎（曾于2003年暴发）这两种冠状病毒。

Done in cooperation with the University of Texas, US, studies showed their effectiveness against COVID-19.

与美国德克萨斯大学合作的这份研究体现了抗体对于新冠病毒的有效性。

Jason McLellan, from the University of Texas at Austin and co-author of the study, said in a statement, “This is one of the first antibodies known to neutralize SARS-CoV-2.”

该研究的联合作者、来自美国奥斯汀德克萨斯大学的杰森·麦克莱伦在一份声明中表示：“这是已知的首批能够中和新冠病毒的抗体之一。”

Antibodies are like your body’s defense system. Similar to tiny soldiers, they seek foreign substances that invade your body and destroy them before they can spread. But what makes llama antibodies so special is their small size, which enables them to better fight the virus by binding to its spikes more easily.

抗体就是身体的防御系统。它们就像微型战士，寻找入侵你身体的外来物质，并在这些物质扩散之前消灭它们。但美洲驼抗体的与众不同之处就在于其体积小巧，这令抗体能够更好地抗击病毒，更容易与病毒的尖峰蛋白紧密结合。

Speaking to the New York Times, PhD student Daniel Wrapp explained, “The binding is able to prevent attachment and entry, which effectively neutralizes the virus.”

博士研究生丹尼尔·雷普在接受《纽约时报》采访时解释道：“这种结合能够阻止病毒附着或者进入细胞，从而有效中和病毒。”

The encouraging results have prompted rapid development and testing of the antibodies so that they can be tested on humans as soon as possible. However, the study’s co-author, Xavier Saelens, from Ghent University noted that “there is still a lot of work to do to bring this into the clinic”.

这些振奋人心的结果加速了抗体的研发与试验，从而能够尽快进入人体试验。但该研究的联合作者、来自根特大学的泽维尔·塞伦斯指出，“进入临床前还有很多工作要做”。

But he added that “if it works, llama Winter deserves a statue”.

但他补充道：“如果这成功了，我们欠美洲驼‘冬季’一座雕像”。

本文英文选自《21世纪学生英文报》高一797期

本文英文音频由我报外籍编辑 Joe Willetts朗读