Scientists know that the novel coronavirus attacks the lungs and that severe infection of the organ was the chief cause of the thousands of deaths so far. If a cure prevents COVID-19 from doing irreparable damages, researchers believe the killer virus can be stopped on its tracks.
A group of chemists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is working on a treatment that they hope will stop the virus from destroying the lungs. This could be made possible by a protein treatment that, when perfected, will shield the lungs from getting infected, likely increasing the chance of survival of those infected by COVID-19.
The team, according to Express, "is testing a protein fragment that could potentially inhibit the ability of coronavirus to attack the lungs."
Already, the researchers have synthesized a drug candidate, which was realized by making use of the short protein, known as a peptide. The same experiment was already published, but the report said the study will still require further reviews.
The MIT team, however, is optimistic of breaking a new ground amid the alarming rate that the virus has spread. Governments and health authorities worldwide were caught off guard by the speed of infection caused by COVID-19.
Reports said that since November 2019, the virus has already infected some 800,000 people and already killed thousands. This week, the United States had the unwelcome distinction of overtaking the death toll seen in China, where the virus was thought to have originated.
According to team member Brad Pentelute, an associate professor at MIT, their research works so far on a potential cure for coronavirus infections are pointing in the right direction.
"We have a lead compound that we really want to explore because it does, in fact, interact with a viral protein in the way that we predicted it to interact, so it has a chance of inhibiting viral entry into a host cell," Pentelute reported.
Meanwhile, the emergence of potential treatments like that of the MIT experts is expected to accelerate in the coming days in light of the new program launched by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) called the Coronavirus Treatment Acceleration Program or CTAP.
As the name implies, CTAP is meant to speed up things when it comes to the development of a cure that will combat the COVID-19 spread, per the report by TechCrunch.
With the program in place, the FDA is looking for better collaboration between public and private entities so as "to bring coronavirus treatments to market as fast as possible."
Ideally, CTAP will provide researchers and scientists, both in public and private sectors, working on potential coronavirus treatments to readily access "regulatory advice, guidance and technical assistance as quickly as possible," said the U.S. health agency.
