There is a new way to hinder the entry into cells of the SarsCoV2 virus and its variants. it is different from both vaccines and monoclonal antibodies, and is a candidate to be the third weapon against the virus responsible for the Covid-19 pandemic. It is a precision technique developed in Italy, where a patent has already been registered, is published in the Pharmacological Research journal and is due to the collaboration between the Italian Institute of Technology (IIT), Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna and the University of Milan.
The three research groups, led respectively by Paolo Ciana (University of Milan), Vincenzo Lionetti (Scuola Superiore Sant’Anna) and Angelo Reggiani (Iit), have decided to shift attention from the characteristics of the virus to those of the target human cell. of the virus. For this reason, the technique does not look at the Spike protein, which SarsCoV2 uses as a molecular lock pick to enter the cell, but focuses on the main gateway that SarsCoV2 uses to enter cells, namely the Ace2 receptor. By targeting the front door instead of the virus, it becomes automatic to be able to block all possible variants.
“Our approach brings a significant novelty to the therapeutic paradigm,” the researchers write in the article. “In fact, it protects the target cell of the virus instead of focusing on the virus and this – they observe – is particularly interesting in light of the growing number of virus mutations that could escape current immunization strategies”.
The starting point were strands of nucleic acids called aptamers, capable of binding to molecules and proteins. With the help of the computer, the researchers identified one that binds to the Ace2 receptor region called K353 and also interacts with one of the virus’s molecular keys. If the nucleic acid strand occupies the lock used by the virus, the virus cannot operate its key and consequently cannot enter the cell.
At the moment, Italian research has discovered two anti K353 aptamers. “Thanks to this study – the researchers note – it will now be possible to develop a new precision therapeutic approach to prevent severe Covid-19 infection, without stimulating the immune system or having important side effects related to the most famous drugs consisting of monoclonal antibodies or other therapeutic proteins. In this sense, in fact, the potential toxicities of nucleic acids as drugs are far lower than other innovative drugs such as monoclonal antibodies or other therapeutic proteins “.
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Source From: Ansa
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