What if preventing respiratory illnesses like COVID-19 and the flu were as easy as a nasal spray every morning?
Many bacteria and viruses, including those that cause COVID-19 and the flu, enter the body through the lungs when breathing and cause illness. Engineers at Johns Hopkins University have created strands of thin thread-like molecules called supramolecular filaments. It is designed to be sprayed into the nose to block harmful viruses from entering the lungs.
“The idea is that the filaments act like a sponge, absorbing the COVID-19 virus and other viruses before they bind to cells in the respiratory tract. Even so, it can be useful when people have to be in public, at the Johns Hopkins Whiting School of Engineering.
“Even if a drug can block the virus for an hour or two, it can help if people have to be in public.”
Choi Hong Gang
Core Researcher, Institute of Nanobiotechnology, Associate Professor, Whiting Institute of Technology
team results recently matterThis work was done in collaboration with Hongpeng Jia, Assistant Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, and other researchers.
Key to this approach is how the filaments carry a receptor called angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 (ACE2). These receptors are also found on nasal mucosa, lung surfaces, and cells of the small intestine, where they play many biological roles, including regulation of blood pressure and inflammation. The new coronavirus enters the body primarily through interaction with this receptor. The virus’ characteristic spike protein clicks on this receptor, just like a lock goes into a lock, allowing it to enter the cell and replicate. function, causing and exacerbating infections.
Researchers have long known that adding ACE2 to the airways can block viral entry, essentially preventing the virus from binding to ACE2 in the lungs. However, because ACE2 has biological functions, simply delivering more ACE2 into the body can lead to unforeseen complications. The research team’s newly designed filaments, called fACE2, serve as decoy binding sites for the virus, with each filament providing several receptors to which the COVID-19 spike protein attaches, to avoid potential side effects. In he silences the biological function of ACE2.
“Our plan is to administer this as a nasal or oral spray and let it float in the lungs or settle on the surface of the airways and lungs. It binds to decoy receptors instead of ACE2 receptors on cells,” Cui said.
The filaments also attract SARS-CoV-2’s characteristic spike protein, so the researchers predict that it should work for current or future variants as well.
The team tested their design in a mouse model and found that the filaments were not only present in rodent lungs until 24 hours later, but also induced no apparent damage to lung structure or inflammation. Safe.
The team’s initial approach was to design a preventive treatment, but by blocking the newly acquired virus from replicating, it could also treat people infected with COVID-19, they say. .
“We believe that fACE2 could also be used for other respiratory viruses that use the ACE2 receptor to infiltrate cells. ,” said Jia.
Original: A simple spray can keep COVID-19 away
Than: Whiting School of Engineering
