A study integrated by Brazilian researchers developed a new medicine to treat Covid-19, using blue microalgae proteins (cyanobacteria). O viricide it has been tested on animals and is awaiting investment to begin human studies.
The drug would work like a nasal spray, in which the cyanobacterial protein sticks to the outer layer of the coronavirus, hindering the invasion of the virus in the cells. In the laboratory, the process has been shown to be effective both in vitro (loose cells) and in hamsters, especially in combating worrying variants such as omicron.
To the The globeAmílcar Tanuri, one of the authors of the study and coordinator of the Laboratory of Molecular Virology at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ), explains that the spray could be used in infected people to prevent the viral condition from worsening or in people who are in contact with infected people in order not to be affected by the virus. The viricide does not replace the vaccinebut would complement the list of treatments.
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The research was published in the scientific journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)in February 2023. In it, the authors highlight the unprecedented approach with the cyanobacterial protein in the treatment of Covid-19.
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