Researchers from KU Leuven have made a breakthrough in the treatment of Covid-19 after discovering a molecule capable of curbing the replication of the Covid-19 virus, according to the findings published Wednesday in the Nature science journal.
Thanks to a hitherto unknown mechanism, a molecule discovered by the Leuven laboratory appears to be extremely efficient in combatting infection by the virus which paralysed the planet just five years ago. Since then, research has continued into treatments for the highest-risk patients who risk increased mortality from infection with the virus.
A team of virologists from the Rega Institute, led by Johan Neyts, and the Centre for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3) in Leuven, led by researcher Patrick Chaltin, made the progress while experimenting with an array of molecules with the potential to be effective against infection by Covid-19.
"CD3 has hundreds of thousands of molecules selected according to the criteria required for potential drugs," explained Neyts. "This is a very varied set of molecules. We test 350,000 of them in the hope to identify some that are capable of slowing the multiplication of coronaviruses."
During their testing of these molecules, the researchers came across one, called CIM-834, which appears capable of completely inhibiting the production of new viruses. This molecule has now been isolated, isolated, and strengthened to become more potent.
[caption id="attachment_1506517" align="alignnone" width="1600"]
Credit: Unsplash[/caption]
Not only does the molecule prove to be effective against infection, it utilises a previously undiscovered mechanism against the virus, which scientists will be eager to study further.
Although the different components of a coronavirus are still assembled when exposed to the molecule, its assembly into a new viral particle becomes impossible, thereby inhibiting the production of new viruses.
"The molecule has been shown to be very effective in laboratory animals. We can actually talk of a ‘breakthrough’," Neyts said. It will still likely be many years before a drug based on the CIM-834 molecule can be marketed.
Related News
These findings represent a major advance in the development of new treatment against Covid-19 and its related viruses. The researchers expressed hope that the new viral mechanism will unlock treatment options for other similar viruses with the potential to become an epidemic or pandemic.
The research is essential for building up a "strategic reserve of antiviral inhibitors in order to preventively treat high-risk patients during an outbreak, which is crucial in the absence of effective vaccines," the researcher explained.
