Moreover, immune disorders or other health conditions can preclude appropriate vaccine responses in many individuals. In addition to pharmaceuticals for treating COVID-19 disease, new approaches for preventing transmission are therefore urgently needed.
Researchers have developed a molecule for nasal spray, which is effective in preventing the disease caused by all known variants of the COVID-19 virus. The molecule can be a key tool in preparing for future pandemics, as it is aimed at preventing both the transmission and spread of the virus.
In laboratory animal studies, a molecule known as TriSb92 has been confirmed as affording effective protection against Coronavirus infection. The molecule identifies a region in the spike protein of the coronavirus common to all current variants of the virus and inhibits its functioning. The results have been published in the Nature Communications journal.
Anticipation of Future Viral Variants
While the worst stage of the coronavirus pandemic is, at least for the time being, behind us, nasally administered protection can be a crucial help in preventing the spread of the virus in the future. The latest variants effectively avoid the immune protection provided by both vaccines and the COVID-19 disease, and current vaccines are not effective in preventing transmission.
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Moreover, the nasal spray can protect those people from serious diseases who do not gain sufficient immunity from vaccines, such as immunocompromised individuals and the elderly.
According to the researchers, the molecule could also work against future animal-borne close relatives of SARS-CoV-2, which are expected to be the cause of entirely new coronavirus pandemics.
The easily and inexpensively produced TriSb92 could be a very important first line of defense in curbing such a new pandemic, pending the development, production, and distribution of vaccines. In the next stage, the molecule must be tested in clinical trials, after which it could be made commercially available.
Source: Eurekalert
