New research conducted by a team comprising Cornell University, Université de Sherbrooke, and the University of British Columbia (UBC) is showing a new nasal spray may prevent infection in humans from the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19 disease in some people..In preliminary studies published in the Nature weekly scientificjournal, the experimental treatment was shown to protect genetically engineered mice infected with the COVID-19 virus. The mice were given a daily dose of the nasal spray for four consecutive days..The research team is now looking to optimize the spray and move to human trials in the near future. A new compound delivered in a nasal spray is “highly effective” in preventing and treating COVID-19 caused by the Delta variant..The research team believes this is the first treatment of its kind to be effective against all COVID-19 variants of concern reported to date. The experimental spray was said to be effective against Alpha, Beta, Gamma and Delta variants in the mice models..Senior author Dr. François Jean, associate professor in the UBC department of microbiology and immunology, says early, as yet unpublished results from the researchers indicate N-0385 is also effective at blocking Omicron variant infections in human lung cells..The spray compound, referred to as N-0385, is believed to be the first treatment of its kind..“Unfortunately, with another wave of an Omicron variant hitting the UK, Europe, and China, and our knowledge of how these waves occur, this may be what we see in Canada in the near future. Once approved, this compound could be used in combination with already available drugs that inhibit the virus’ replication, to provide a stronger defence against COVID-19 variants of concern,” says Jean, founder of FINDER, the cutting-edge level-three biocontainment facility where the work on SARS-CoV-2 variants was coordinated.. animal-1554745_1920Tibor Janosi Mozes .Unpublished results from the same experiments show the spray could potentially be effective against the Omicron variant in human lung cells..“The specially designed compound … blocks a particular human enzyme’s activity, used by the virus to infect a host cell. The small molecule was developed by Drs. Richard Leduc, Éric Marsault, Pierre-Luc Boudreault and their team at Université de Sherbrooke. UBC researchers tested four variants, including Delta, in human lung cells and organoids, tissue cultures that can mimic the organ they’re taken from, and found that N-0385 inhibits infection, with no evidence of toxicity,” the UBC website said..Research co-author Dr. Andrea Olmstead, research associate in the department of microbiology and immunology, said the studies show the nasal spray uses an original and novel biological pathway..“The compound is unique because it blocks entry at the cell surface, without having to get into the cell which prevents it from causing any detectable cell damage. As well, it’s highly potent, in that it needs only a tiny amount to work very effectively,” Olmstead said..It is possible the compound could be used as a broad-spectrum therapy against other viruses that use the same mechanism, Jean says, including flu viruses such as influenza A, H1N1, and influenza C. “Even not knowing what you’ve been infected with during flu season, you could potentially be prescribed a nasal spray to treat coronaviruses and the flu,” he said..The spray should be used in combination with other drugs already on the market, Jean said, as the compound is an entry inhibitor, blocking entry of the virus to cells while other drugs reduce viral replication. “The big picture is, there are multiple steps in the life cycle of a virus. The first step is entering a cell to pass on genetic material, then it goes on to replicate. So you would use both drugs: N-0385 could block most of the virus’ entry, making less work for the replicator drug,” he said..The research collaboration is working with Ebvia, a private company, to secure financing for clinical trials. Potential avenues of research at UBC and Université de Sherbrooke include optimizing the N-0385 compound in combination with already approved drugs to treat COVID-19..Amanda Brown is a reporter with the Western Standard.,.abrown@westernstandardonline.com.,.Twitter: @WS_JournoAmanda
