A new method has been devised to counter contagious diseases by producing copious human antibodies in cows. The said technology engineered by SAB Biotherapeutics, a private biomedical company in South Dakota, follows the same procedure done during the Ebola outbreak when doctors injected plasma from recuperating patients to affected patients. Although the method was a success, it only worked on a small scale. The amount of plasma extracted from recovering patients was not enough to battle the outbreak; that’s when cows come into the picture. The human body can produce 4 liters of antibodies in a month at an average, which can be dwarfed easily by a cow’s ability to produce up to 60 liters of antibodies within the same period.
Scientists tested injecting cows with a specific strain of virus after substituting the cow’s antibody genes with human’s. The cow’s body would, therefore, react by producing sufficient antibodies to fight off the virus which enabled researchers to successfully treat patients. Although the method won’t be out for actual medical practices in the next three years or so, the World Health Organization has already recognized it as an effective cure against deadly illnesses, complementary to vaccines.
Vocabulary:
contagious – [adjective] having a sickness that can be passed from one person to another
copious – [adjective] very large in amount or number
recuperate – [verb] to recover health
extracted – [verb] to pull or take out
complementary – [adjective] working well together
True or False:
- Human antibodies are produced in horses in a new method to counter infectious diseases.
- A cow has the ability to produce up to 60 liters of antibodies in a month.
- Scientists tested injecting humans with virus after substituting a human’s antibody genes with cow’s.
- The said practice will be out for formal usage this year.
- The World Health Organization has called the method ineffective.
Defend your argument:
- Given that humans drink cow’s milk, having antibodies from cows is no different.
- If you were to be infected by one of the deadliest viruses, would you subject yourself to be the first one to undergo this method?
- Should we ban medical testing on animals?
Express your opinion:
- How much do you know about medicine?
- Are you impressed with the way modern medicine is progressing?
- Share your thoughts about this quote: “Without health life is not a life; it is only a state of languor and suffering – an image of death.” – Buddha