American scientists develop nasal spray to prevent Covid-19

© Handout
An electron microscope image that shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania and biotechnology company Regeneron are studying whether the technology developed for gene therapy can be used to make a nasal spray that will prevent infection with the novel coronavirus.

The idea is to use a weakened virus as a delivery truck to transport genetic instructions to cells in the nose and throat, which in turn will create strong antibodies to prevent SARS-CoV-2 from invading our bodies. .

“The advantage of our approach is that you don’t need a competent immune system for this to work,” James Wilson, Penn professor of medicine who is leading the project, told AFP.

The technology is currently being tested in animals and Wilson estimates that if successful, it could provide people with about six months of protection from a single dose, sprayed into the nose, and therefore complement vaccines that may soon be approved.

Wilson is a pioneer in gene therapy – providing a genetic code in a patient’s cells to correct defects and treat disease.

His research team found that the Adeno-Associated Virus (AAV) group of viruses, which infect both humans and other primates but are not known to cause disease, may be designed to carry healthy DNA. in cells.

This approach led in 2019 to the approval of Zolgensma, the first drug for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy, and today AAVs are under investigation for dozens of additional applications.

Wilson was contacted by the US government in February to see if he and his lab could use the technology against Covid-19.

But it wasn’t until Regeneron developed two promising lab-made antibodies to the coronavirus, which bind to a surface protein of the pathogen and prevent it from invading our cells, that his team was able to move forward. .

Regeneron’s antibodies are themselves the subject of clinical testing, but have received emergency approval for patients with mild or moderate Covid-19 who are at high risk for serious illness – and have been used in particular recently to deal with President Donald Trump.

The researchers hope the nasal spray could be injected into the nostrils, penetrate nasal epithelial cells, and hijack their protein-producing machinery so that they make the antibodies to Regeneron.

Normally, only immune cells create antibodies, which makes the new idea a particularly innovative approach.

Since the coronavirus enters the lungs through the nasal passage, the spray could stop the infection in its tracks.

Additionally, AAVs elicit only a mild immune response, so the side effects may be less severe than leading vaccines, which work by training the immune system to recognize a key protein in the virus.

Penn and Regeneron hope to complete their animal studies by January, before asking the Food and Drug Administration to begin human trials.

ia / cl