In Poland, developed a tool that slows down the infection with coronavirus

A group of scientists from the Jagiellonian University of Polish Krakow said they found a tool that significantly slows down the infection of a new type of coronavirus SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers believe their achievement is a promising first step toward inventing a drug. “The substance we developed is a world-class innovation,” said Virologist Professor Krzysztof Pyrts. The invention is a chemical compound called HTCC. It is reported that it affects not only SARS-CoV-2, but also MERS-CoV, the causative agent of the Middle East respiratory syndrome, which appeared in Saudi Arabia in the fall of 2012.

Now, Polish scientists are planning to start clinical trials of their remedy. HTCC has been patented and previously tested in animals; permission for use in humans has not yet been obtained. In rodents, this substance did not cause deterioration in the functioning of the respiratory system and did not show toxicity.

The HTCC polymer compound was created based on chitosan derived from shrimp or mushrooms. Researchers have shown that this polymer binds to the Spike protein, which forms the “crown” of the virus, and blocks its interaction with the cell receptor and, as a consequence, with the virus entering the cell.

The work was carried out using not only a standard cellular model, but also an advanced system modeling a completely differentiated epithelium of the human respiratory system. “This is one of the most advanced models,” the authors of the study emphasize.

Recall: the number of infected COVID-19 worldwide exceeded 1.1 million. At the same time, almost 226.9 thousand people recovered, and almost 59 thousand infected died.