Scientists Say Anti-Viral Nasal Spray Could be Key in Curing Coronavirus

According to scientists at the University of St Andrews spin-out company Pneumagen, an anti-viral nasal spray might cure the coronavirus that is based on their research.

The study was done by Pneumagen at the university to investigate the coronavirus in three separate lab-based studies to see the efficacy of the cure. The objective of the studies conducted was run through a series of tests, to check the veracity of the results before going into full trials.

At this point, many drugs have failed to yield results, including remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, chloroquine which are now getting less use in trials due to their side effects.

Anti-viral nasal spray: potential cure?

Incorporated into the cure are the components of Neumifil and multivalent Carbohydrate-Binding Modules (mCBMs), with GlycoTarge technology.

Nuemifil is used in the mCBM that is getting developed and researched for the universal treatment of respiratory tract infections (RTIs), including Influenza Virus (IFV), Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV), and now coronaviruses are included in the list of maladies.

According to the lead researcher Gary Taylor, professor of biology at St. Andrews, "Classic antivirals attack some part of the virus's machinery, whereas our drug inhibits the virus from even getting into cells."

Instead of the usual approach curing the infection, the medicine will block the coronavirus from taking hold of the host's cells.

Proponents of the coronavirus cure see it as a nasal spray that is noninvasive and can be given to the patient either weekly or every other day. This is one of the first treatments envisioned for a coronavirus cure.

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The information from these studies is different from current drugs in a trial, that are reconfigured to cure other diseases like Remdesivir. Data from the study shows the MCBMs is a two-hit attack, which is treating and block further incidences of viral hijacking of the host cell. MCBMs are like a layer over the cells for protection.

According to the Public Health England's Porton facility and separately with the University of Glasgow's (UoG) MRC Centre for Virus Research, they have been keeping things under wrap while coordinating with Pneumagen.

How does it work?

Study reveals that Porton and UoG, both mCBMS had fewer Sars-CoV-2 plaques in the tests when used in both prevention and treatment of infection. Pneumagen is optimistic with the results to start tests with the prevention and treatment of Covid-19.

Chief executive Douglas Thomson said: "Today's positive results from in-vitro studies of our mCBMs against coronaviruses show that glycan-binding has the potential to prevent and treat infection."

He added that this further supports the value of our universal therapeutic modality to block access to lung cells of Sars-CoV-2 and it has the promise of a pan-viral respiratory product too. The overreaching goal is to start trials for the prevention and treatment of Covid-19.

Glycan is sugar-coated molecules that cover the spikes and act as shielding for the COVID-19, which uses it to fool the host cells. A glycan is a generic name for a carbohydrate complex, made up from connected carbohydrate, or sugar, molecules.

In the study, nicotine can be a factor in whether coronavirus can attack the host cells. This anti-viral nasal spray that could treat COVID-19 is one of the more promising cures to date.