Inhaled powder that coats airways can block coronavirus infection

Airway-covering gel prevents coronavirus infection in mice and monkeys and may work against new variants in the future

To Alice Klein

An inhalable powder that coats the airways with a protective gel prevents coronavirus infection in mice and monkeys. It may be effective against any variant of SARS-CoV-2, including future ones that may evolve to evade existing vaccines.

A vaccine is critical to containing the covid-19 pandemic, but its effectiveness may wane as the coronavirus that causes it mutates. I wondered if I could create an airway barrier that temporarily blocked the triggering of . This keeps people safe from new variants while new vaccines are being developed or old ones are being updated.

First, we made a powder consisting of polymer and gelatin microparticles. When inhaled, it enters the mucus layer of the nasal passages and lungs and expands to form a gel layer that blocks viral penetration.

When tested in mice, the particles of the powder remained in the lungs at high levels for 8 hours, blocking the virus from causing infection with up to 75% efficiency and posing no safety concerns.

It was then administered to six African green monkeys via an inhaler. Eight hours later, the monkeys were inoculated with the original SARS-CoV-2 strain or its delta variant and introduced into the animal’s nose or lungs via a tube.

Several tests over the next week revealed that the viral load (the amount of virus in the body) was 50- to 300-fold lower in the treated monkeys than in control animals that had not received the gel. rice field. virus inoculation.

The gel coating did not appear to interfere with breathing or cause any other side effects.

The research team is seeking approval from the US Food and Drug Administration to test the gel on humans. Cheng says it can be inhaled using the same type of device that asthma sufferers use when they experience symptoms.

If approved, the inhaled powder could provide short-term protection for people entering crowded places such as supermarkets and airplanes, Cheng said. “Even with an N95 mask, viruses can still get through, so this can be an extra layer of protection,” he says.

In another part of the experiment, the researchers found that the gel prevented mice from contracting viruses that cause influenza and pneumonia.