According to a study, antibodies extracted from hen eggs could be used to treat COVID-19 patients or as a preventive measure for people exposed to the viral disease. Antibodies to the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein have been produced in hen eggs by researchers at the University of California, Davis in the United States. The virus uses spike protein to enter and infect human cells.
“The beauty of the system is that you can produce a lot of antibodies in birds,” said Rodrigo Gallardo, a professor at UC Davis. “In addition to a low cost to produce these antibodies in hens, they can be updated very fast by using updated antigens to hyperimmunise hens, allowing protection against current variant strains,” said Gallardo, co-author of the study published in the journal Viruses.
Birds produce antibody called IgY
The researchers discovered that birds produce IgY antibodies, which are similar to IgG antibodies found in humans and other mammals. When injected into humans, IgY does not cause allergy or immune reactions. The antibody is found in both the serum and the eggs of birds.
“As a hen lays about 300 eggs a year, you can get a lot of IgY,” Gallardo said. The researchers immunised hens with two doses of three different vaccines based on the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein or receptor binding domain.
Have ability to prevent coronavirus from infecting human cells
Three and six weeks after the last immunization, they measured antibodies in hen blood samples and egg yolks. At George Mason University in Virginia, US, purified antibodies were tested for their ability to prevent coronavirus from infecting human cells.
Both eggs and sera from immunised hens contained antibodies that recognised SARS-CoV-2. “Antibodies from serum were more effective in neutralising the virus, probably because there is more antibody in blood overall,” Gallardo said.
Gallardo is working with colleagues at Stanford University, US, and University of Technology, Sydney, Australia to develop the egg-based antibody technology. The team hopes to deploy these antibodies in a preventative treatment such as a spray that could be used by people at high risk of exposure to coronavirus.
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