Bilkent University National Nanotechnology Research Center (UNAM) Faculty Member Asst. Prof. Urartu Şeker and his team have applied for permission to start human trials for a nasal spray that has the potential to prevent viruses such as Covid-19 and influenza from adhering to human cells. Animal testing has already been completed for the spray.
Led by Asst. Prof. Urartu Şeker, members of the Synthetic Biosystems Laboratory recently published a study entitled “A High Potency Sars-CoV Blocking Lectin Protein” on the cover of the American Chemical Society’s ACS Infectious Diseases journal.
Şeker, who also won a “COVID-19 Global Outbreak Special Award” in the field of Diagnosis from the Turkish Academy of Sciences (TÜBA), explained that, when the Covid-19 epidemic began, his team began using genetic engineering techniques to aid the rapid production of a protein from bacteria found in red algae that protects against the virus. Şeker said, “In our animal experiments, we have shown that this lectic protein prevents virus transmission, even in close contact. Thus, we reported that animals living in the same cage are protected against the virus, even without masks and other precautions.”
Stating that they determined that the lectic protein was protective not only against Covid-19 but also against other upper respiratory tract viruses, Şeker said, “The protein binds to sugar groups that cannot change, even if there are variants in viruses, so the virus cannot enter the human cell. The immune system also gains time to fight the virus. Our protection system is 5 times more effective in the Omicron variant. Different variants of influenza emerge every year, and, since there is no change in the sugar groups between the different viruses, we have found that effective protection can also be provided against these viruses.”
Asst. Prof. Urartu Şeker also stated that they have started working with a pharmaceutical company to begin production. As such, they will be starting clinical trials on human subjects with support from the TÜBİTAK Covid-19 Platform.
Asst. Prof. Şeker said that the protective nasal spray they are developing aims to provide protection, especially in cases where there is no mask, and added, ” According to the results we have seen in animal experiments, the protection period of the nasal spray differs between 3-4 hours at the highest doses of the virus, and we expect longer protection at lower virus doses. We have found a highly effective and safe product for the first line of protection against viruses. We anticipate that it will be taken through the upper respiratory tract, mainly through the mouth and nose. Our experiments have shown that it does not mix directly with the blood and that it has a protective barrier-forming function.”
