Covid, discovery of the universal therapy that blocks all variants
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The Covid vaccine is fine, it works and you have to get it administered. But the future of the fight against this virus, which we are called to deal with tomorrow as well, is also another. It is a universal therapy that, thanks to nanotechnology, allows to block the origin of SARS CoV-2 in our organism. Researchers from Oregon State University are working on this front, in collaboration with colleagues from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute. Which ultimately managed to unearth a more than promising discovery: they demonstrated in a mouse model that it is possible to stimulate the production of a protein capable of preventing multiple variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus from entering cells and causing respiratory diseases.
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The team at work
Basically, the study conducted by Gaurav Sahay, a pharmaceutical science researcher at Oregon State University, has produced the first evidence of the efficacy of a new “universal” means of treating Covid. Published in the magazine Advanced Scienceis the result of team work in which the other scientists of Oregon State have collaborated: Jeonghwan Kim, Antony Jozic, Anindit Mukherjee And Dylan Nelson. In particular, studies with the live virus were conducted in collaboration with researchers from the Texas Biomedical Research Institute: Kevin Chiem, Siddiqur Rahman Khan Jordi B. Torrelles And Luis Martinez-Sobrido.
The action of messenger RNA
Breathing the virus is the main way to contract Covid, which since the beginning of the pandemic has caused over 614 million cases and more than 6 million and 500 thousand deaths worldwide. But how does it work? The envelope of the virus is covered with spike proteins that bind to an enzyme produced by the cells of the lungs. By leveraging this and using messenger RNA packaged in lipid nanoparticles, the scientists showed in the mouse model that host cells can produce a “decoy” enzyme that can bind to coronavirus spike proteins. This means that the virus should not be able to attach itself to the cells in the host’s airways and thus begin the infection process. We are talking not only about the administration of messenger RNA intravenously, but also by inhalation, which turns out to be the preferred method.
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Administration of the enzyme 2
“Proteins are large and complex molecules that act as the workhorse of cells, allowing all the biological functions within them – explained Sahay -. And the DNA contains the blueprints from which proteins are produced after the code is was first transcribed in messenger RNA “. It should be noted that an enzyme is a type of protein that acts as a catalyst for biochemical reactions. HACE2 (short for human angiotensin converting enzyme 2) is an airway cell enzyme. It is also expressed in the heart, kidneys and intestines and contributes to numerous physiological functions. “The simple administration of hACE2 to a Covid patient would have limited effectiveness in treating the disease – the expert specified – because the soluble form of the enzyme, the type that can circulate throughout the body, has a short half-life, less two hours, which means it wouldn’t stay in a person’s system very long. “
Lipid nanoparticles bypass the problem
The strategy that made it possible to circumvent the problem was the use of lipid nanoparticles (Lnp), containing mRNA which has the function of ordering the production of the enzyme. So the researchers engineered synthetic mRNA to encode a soluble form of the enzyme, packed the mRNA into lipid nanoparticles, and finally delivered it to liver cells via a drip. Two hours later the enzyme was already in the bloodstream of the guinea pigs (mice) on which the experiment was being carried out and remained there for days. But that’s not all, because scientists have also administered LNP by inhalation, stimulating the epithelial cells in the lungs to secrete soluble hACE2.
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Solution that can accompany the vaccine
The first results bode well. “The soluble enzyme effectively inhibited live SARS-CoV-2 from host cell infection,” confirmed Jeonghwan Kim. “The synthesis of mRNA is fast, convenient and scalable, and the mRNA provided by Lnp can be repeated as needed. to support protein production until the infection clears. Once treatment is stopped, soluble hACE2 no longer needed clears the system within a few days. “
So how to interpret this new scientific discovery to be used against Covid? “Instead of messenger RNA used as a vaccine, this new solution demonstrates that mRNA can be used as a universal therapy against various coronaviruses,” said Sahay. Because, despite the ongoing mass vaccination, there is an urgent need to develop effective treatment options to put an end to this pandemic. Several therapies have shown some efficacy, but the virus’s high mutation rate complicates the development of drugs that treat all variants that cause concern. “
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