Coronavirus Latches on to Membrane-Wrapped Nanosponges, Dramatically Reducing Infectivity ,Video
Jun 22, 2020 | 11:48 / Interesting information
Researchers at the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) have developed “nanosponges” that can attract and neutralize SARS-CoV-2 in cell culture, causing the virus to lose its ability to hijack host cells and reproduce. Cloaked in the cell membranes from either human lung cells or human immune cells, the nanoparticles are designed to protect the healthy cells that the virus invades, rather than targeting the virus itself. The approach effectively uses nanoparticles to soak up harmful pathogens and toxins, hence the name nanosponges. When tested by researchers at Boston University, both the lung cell and immune cell types of nanosponge caused the SARS-CoV-2 virus to lose nearly 90% of its viral infectivity in a dose-dependent manner.
