(ORDO NEWS) — American scientists have developed an antiviral inhalable powder.
Once in the respiratory tract, it envelops them with a layer of protective gel. Animal tests have shown that it does not interfere with breathing, while preventing cell infection.
Vaccines provide good protection against severe illness when infected with SARS-CoV-2. However, as new strains of the virus appear, the effectiveness of such drugs decreases.
During the period when the updated vaccine is not yet available, temporary protection in the form of inhaled powder can be used.
Once in the respiratory tract, it turns into a gel that does not allow the virus to infect cells. This idea was put forward by scientists from the University of North Carolina.
Professor Ke Cheng’s group called their concept Spherical Hydrogel Inhalation for Enhanced Lung Defense (SHEILD).
To obtain such a substance, they used exclusively biocompatible materials: polyacrylic acid, N-hydroxysuccinimide ester and gelatin.
Dried, they form a powder, but after inhalation and contact with moisture, they quickly absorb it, turning into a soft gel. It lines the surface of the airways and prevents the virus from coming into contact with their cells.
The unusual concept was tested on laboratory animals.
Scientists have shown that the gel is retained in the upper respiratory tract of mice for eight hours and reduces the incidence of infection by 75 percent, without breathing difficulties or other side effects.
The experiments continued with green monkeys, which were injected with different strains of SARS-CoV-2 (including Delta) eight hours after inhaling SHEILD.
A week later, the authors of the work assessed the number of pathogen particles and found that in primates that were protected by the gel, the viral load was 50-300 times lower than in animals of the control group.
Ke Cheng and his colleagues are already preparing for clinical trials and obtaining US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval.
It is expected that SHEILD powder will be administered using inhalers similar to those used, for example, by asthma patients.
Injecting it into the nose at the beginning of the day or before visiting crowded places can provide additional protection against the virus.
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