Finnish researchers have developed a nasal spray that may offer temporary protection once morest the coronavirus by preventing the virus from infecting cells. This new nasal spray treatment looks promising.
The Covid-19 pandemic is not yet under control even though half of the world’s population (50.4% of the population as of January 9, 2022) is fully vaccinated. The new Omicron variant appeared in South Africa spreads very quickly because of its high contagiousness. According to the World Health Organization, the risk presented by the Omicron variant is ” very high ».
Faced with this threat, researchers are trying to find a way to protect themselves once morest infection with SARS-CoV-2. Finnish researchers have thus created nasal spray treatment that would prevent the virus from infecting cells. This nasal spray is still being tested, but the results are very promising.
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Nasal spray provides 8-hour protection once morest coronavirus in mice
The nasal spray is obviously not used to replace vaccines that offer the best possible protection once morest Covid-19. Virologist Kalle Saksela from the University of Helsinki explained that the spray was tested on pseudoviruses similar to the different variants of the coronavirus.
Pseudoviruses have been exposed to petri dishes and live mice. In both cases, a single dose of spray prevented the virus from infecting cells, whether it was the Omicron, Delta variant or even the original SARS-CoV-2 from Wuhan. Mice were protected for eight hours following a dose. In fact, the molecule created by the Finnish researchers targets a specific region of the S protein that doesn’t mutate as much as the others. It means that nasal spray might be effective once morest all variants, including the highly contagious Omicron.
Kalle Saksela concludes that « this technology is inexpensive and highly manufacturable, and the inhibitor works well once morest all variants “. Before it can be used on humans, nasal spray must complete clinical trials. These have not yet started. Researchers will also work on a similar nasal spray to protect once morest respiratory infections.
Source : Gizmodo