A heritable CRISPR knock-in in Schistosoma mansoni, a human blood fluke, generated a transgenic line that secreted a functional anti–SARS-CoV-2 antibody into the bloodstream of infected mice. Antibodies in the mice’s sera neutralized the virus, demonstrating the potential of engineered schistosomes as living platforms for delivering biologic medicines in vivo.
This reproducible method for generating transgenic schistosome lines will enable more rapid investigation of fundamental questions, including how these parasites recognize their hosts and locate their preferred sites within them. It may also advance translational research into the development of helminths as drug-delivery systems.
