COULD A BARN FULL OF DAIRY CATTLE HELP FIGHT CORONAIVIRUS?

OMAHA - Thousands of people around the world hospitalized with COVID-19 have been treated with what’s known as convalescent plasma donated by people who’ve recovered from the infection.

But a Sioux Falls, South Dakota, biotech firm thinks it has a better alternative to convalescent plasma: A barn full of dairy cattle that are producing human antibodies to COVID-19. The cattle, a Holstein mix, look just like those found on many Midwestern farms. But they’re not your basic bovine. They’ve been genetically modified to have a partially human immune system.

The company then injects them with a noninfectious portion of the novel coronavirus so they produce antibodies to fight it. “We have already shown our antibodies neutralize the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the more technical name for the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19), and we have already produced a clinical material to be used for our clinical trials,” said Eddie Sullivan, the company’s president and CEO.

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