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Queensland, November 28 (Dialogue) We have a vaccine that boosts our immune response to SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID. We have medicines you can take at home (and in the hospital) to treat COVID. Now researchers are experimenting with something new.
They want to be the first to develop drugs that stop the virus from entering the body. This includes nasal sprays that stop the virus from attaching to cells in the nose.
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Other researchers are investigating the potential of nasal sprays to stop viruses from replicating in the nose or making the nose a dangerous place to enter the body.
Here’s where the science is headed and what we can expect next.
How can we stop viruses?
As the name suggests, “viral blockade” is based on the simple premise of blocking SARS-CoV-2. In other words, if something is in its way, the virus cannot attach to the cell and infect you.
Since SARS-CoV-2 is a respiratory virus, it would make sense to offer this drug in places where the virus enters the body primarily through the nose, nasal spray.
There are different groups around the world working on this concept. Some research is still being done in the lab. Some drugs are already in preliminary human trials. None are currently available for widespread use.
heparin
Heparin is a commonly used drug that has been used for decades to thin the blood. Studies in mice have shown that when heparin is delivered through the nose, it is safe and effective in preventing the virus from binding to nasal cells. The researchers believe that heparin binds to the virus itself and prevents it from attaching to the cells it is trying to infect.
A clinical trial is underway in Victoria, in collaboration with multiple Melbourne research centers and the University of Oxford.
Covixyl-V
Covixyl-V (ethyl lauroyl arginine hydrochloride) is another nasal spray
develop. It is designed to prevent COVID by blocking or modifying the surface of cells to prevent viral infection.
The compound has been explored for various viral infections, and early studies in cells and small animals have shown that it prevents the attachment of SARS-CoV-2 and reduces overall viral load.
silk carrageenan
The algae-derived molecule works by preventing viruses from entering airway cells.
A study of about 400 healthcare workers showed that the nasal spray could reduce the incidence of COVID by as much as 80%.
IGM-6268
This is an engineered antibody that binds to SARS-CoV-2, preventing the virus from attaching to cells in the nose.
The nasal and buccal (oral) sprays are in clinical trials to evaluate safety.
cold atmospheric plasma
This is a gas that contains charged particles. At low temperatures, it can alter the surface of cells.
A lab-based study showed that the gas changes the expression of receptors on the skin that normally allow the virus to attach. This reduces SARS-CoV-2 attachment and infection.
Scientists now believe the technology could be applied to nasal sprays to prevent SARS-CoV-2 infection.
How can we stop viruses from replicating?
Another strategy is to develop nasal sprays that stop the virus from replicating in the nose.
Researchers are designing gene segments that bind to the viral RNA. These fragments — known as “locked nucleic acid antisense oligonucleotides” (or LNA ASOs for short) — put the proverbial wrench into action and stop the virus from replicating.
Spraying these gene fragments into the nose can reduce viral replication in the nose and prevent disease in small animals.
How can we change the nose?
A third strategy is to alter the nose environment to make it less virus-friendly.
This may be through the use of nasal sprays to change the moisture content (with saline), to change the pH (to make the nose more acidic or alkaline), or to add a viricide (iodine). Salt water can reduce the amount of SARS-CoV-2 in the nose by simply washing out the virus. One study even found that saline nasal irrigation can reduce the severity of COVID illness. But we need to do further research on salt spray.
An iodine-based nasal spray can reduce viral load in the nose, an Australian-led study has found. Further clinical trials are planned.
One study used a test spray — which included oils of eucalyptus and clove, potassium chloride and glycerin. The purpose is to kill the virus and change the acidity of the nose to prevent the virus from attaching.
The new formulation has been tested in labs and clinical trials, showing it is safe and reduced infection rates from about 34 percent to 13 percent compared with a placebo control.
obstacles ahead
While the data so far on nasal sprays for COVID is promising, one of the main hurdles is keeping the spray in the nose. To overcome this, most sprays need to be applied multiple times a day, sometimes every few hours.
So nasal sprays alone cannot beat COVID based on what we know so far. But if they prove safe and effective in clinical trials and receive regulatory approval, they could be another tool that can help prevent it. (conversation)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
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