A new study has found that nanosponges — tiny, bio-friendly plastics coated in lung and immune cell membranes — act as a decoy for SARS-CoV-2, neutralizing the virus.
A team of scientists has found that a new technology is effective at distracting and neutralizing SARS-CoV-2 in a laboratory setting.
The research, published in the journal Nano Letters, has implications not only for treating SARS-CoV-2 but also for other virulent viruses, such as influenza, Ebola, Marburg, and Lassa viruses.
As the initial wave of the Covid-19 pandemic eases in some countries, attention is turning to therapies that may be of use in slowing the spread of the virus, reducing the risk of infection or saving the lives of people in intensive care.
In the absence of a vaccine — which could not be available for years, if at all — treatments and therapies that help reduce the negative effects of the pandemic are crucial.
In this context, lab results from researchers at Boston University’s National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratories (NEIDL) and the University of California, San Diego seem promising.
The researchers have made use of new technology to see whether SARS-CoV-2 can be drawn to nanoparticles that neutralize the virus.
The technology works by creating microscopic, bio-friendly polymers, which are then coated in cells from living lung tissue or the immune system.
SARS-CoV-2 is attracted to lung cell membranes. After attaching to the outside of the cell, the virus gains entry and uses the cell’s internal machinery to replicate itself. These new virus particles then exit the cell to continue the cycle of spreading and multiplying. However, the researchers found that the polymers coated in lung cells did a better job of attracting the virus than the lung cells themselves.
HOPE AGAINST COVID-19: DRUG CUTS DEATHS BY A THIRD AND OTHER FINDINGS: Given the current climate — primarily in the United States — of social unrest, injustice, and uncertainty, it may seem strange to read or even think about hopeful or positive things. But scientists are advancing in the fight against coronavirus, and this feature rounds up their progress.
Some have suggested that the US is currently struggling with two pandemics at once. Although a simple vaccine cannot fix the racism pandemic, many scientists are actively working to tackle the ongoing Covid-19 crisis in their labs.
In this feature, we continue our series on hopeful scientific findings by rounding up the evidence available. Since we last wrote about scientific progress in the fight against Covid-19, many developments have taken place.
Medical News Today has recently conducted an exclusive interview with Dr. Catherine Oldenburg, co-principal investigator in the ACTION trial.
In the interview, Dr Oldenburg explains why she and her team choseazithromycin, an antibiotic, to treat an infection with SARS-CoV-2.
The researcher notes that the choice of an antibiotic to treat a viral infection may seem counterintuitive, as antibiotics do not treat viruses. However, azithromycin is special in that it affects the immune system.
