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A multi-institutional research team has developed a nasal spray that effectively blocks the absorption of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in ferrets in direct contact with infected animals, indicating that the product could potentially protect against 2019 coronavirus infection. (COVID-19). While promising, the researchers say the nasal spray has yet to be tested in humans.
The intranasal spray consists of a lipopeptide or a cholesterol particle linked to a chain of amino acids. This lipopeptide exactly matches the range of amino acids in the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein. The pathogen uses the spike protein to attach to a human airway or lung cell, fusing in the cell wall and injecting its RNA. The lipopeptide in the spray intervenes in this process by attaching to one of the peak amino acid chains, thus preventing viral attachment.
The intranasal fusion inhibitor lipopeptide spray test was carried out by researchers from the Columbia University Medical Center At New York, Erasmus medical center in the Netherlands and Cornell University in Ithaca, NY
In their study, the researchers administered the lipopeptide fusion inhibitor spray intranasally to six ferrets divided into three cages. Two ferrets were also placed in the three different cages. One of the two additional ferrets was given a placebo spray, and the other had been infected with SARS-CoV-2 on purpose a day or two earlier.
The spray completely prevented direct contact transmission of SARS-CoV-2 during a 24-hour period of cohabitation with infected animals. All untreated animals that were directly exposed to the virus had infection at the end of the study.
Researchers from the small animal study suggest that intranasal lipopeptides are non-toxic and very stable “and therefore easily translate into a safe and effective intranasal prophylactic approach to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2.” The paper describing the study, which was first posted to the bioRxiv preprint server, has been submitted to Science for peer review.
Although this study was limited by using animal models only, investigators said they chose ferrets because these animals can also pick up viruses through the nose, as humans do. The National Institutes of Health and Columbia University Medical Center funded the animal study as part of their ongoing efforts to find effective therapies to prevent and treat COVID-19.
Human trials will require additional funding. In a statement made to New York Times By study co-author Dr. Anne Moscona, a pediatrician and microbiologist at Columbia, she and her team have filed for a patent on the spray. Dr. Moscona says she hopes her institution will seek funding from the federal government’s Operation Warp Speed or large pharmaceutical companies to secure the necessary funding.
According to investigators, the lipoprotein used in this nasal spray is inexpensive to produce. The lipoprotein can be prepared as a lyophilized white powder which does not require refrigeration. Doctors or pharmacists can mix the powder with sugar or water to make the nasal spray.
In contrast, other therapies for COVID-19, such as Regeneron’s REGN-COV2 monoclonal antibody therapy, are more expensive to produce. These antibodies, while potentially effective in humans, also require refrigeration and generally must be administered by injection. Inhaled antibody therapies, such as Aridis AR-711, can bypass the limitation of drug injection. However, much more work is needed to determine the effectiveness of these inhalation therapies in preventing COVID-19 infection.
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