Scientists have created a nasal spray that may protect against respiratory pathogens like COVID-19 and influenza by forming a gel barrier in the nose.
Researchers have developed a new nasal spray designed to block and neutralize a wide range of respiratory pathogens, including COVID-19, influenza, and pneumonia-causing bacteria. The spray, still in the preclinical stage, works by forming a protective gel barrier in the nasal passages, potentially reducing respiratory disease transmission.
This development is detailed in a recent study published in Advanced Materials, which further explains how the spray creates a protective layer inside the nasal cavity. This layer traps airborne respiratory droplets and acts as both a physical barrier and an effective neutralizer of viruses and bacteria.
In studies conducted on mice, the Pathogen Capture and Neutralizing Spray (PCANS) demonstrated up to 8 hours of nasal retention. In a severe Influenza A model, a single pre-exposure dose of PCANS resulted in a greater than 99.99% reduction in lung viral titers. Treated mice achieved complete protection, in stark contrast to the untreated group, which showed no protection.
“PCANS has the potential to provide an additional layer of protection against respiratory infections when traditional measures like masks and vaccines fall short,” said corresponding author Nitin Joshi, PhD, an Assistant Professor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. “With its broad-spectrum activity, it could offer defense against emerging variants of the flu, RSV, COVID-19, and beyond.”
Reference: “Toward a Radically Simple Multi-Modal Nasal Spray for Preventing Respiratory Infections” by John Joseph, Helna Mary Baby, Joselyn Rojas Quintero, Devin Kenney, Yohannes A Mebratu, Eshant Bhatia, Purna Shah, Kabir Swain, Dongtak Lee, Shahdeep Kaur, Xiang-Ling Li, John Mwangi, Olivia Snapper, Remya Nair, Eli Agus, Sruthi Ranganathan, Julian Kage, Jingjing Gao, James N Luo, Anthony Yu, Dongsung Park, Florian Douam, Yohannes Tesfaigzi, Jeffrey M Karp and Nitin Joshi, 24 September 2024, Advanced Materials.
DOI: 10.1002/adma.202406348