A new study claims that a substance extracted from edible marine algae could help inhibit the spread of coronavirus.

According to the Jerusalem Post, researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) believe that ulvan, a significant water-soluble polysaccharide isolated from the cell wall of green seaweed, could help prevent coronavirus from infecting human cells.

"The lack of access to vaccines takes the lives of many victims and even accelerates the creation of new variants," TAU's Prof. Alexander Golberg said.

"The study is still in its early stages, but we hope that the discovery will be used in the future to develop an accessible and effective drug, preventing infection with the coronavirus," he added in the study published in PeerJ -- a peer-reviewed science journal.

The team opted to test some seaweed compounds against COVID-19 since previous research had shown that they had antiviral properties.

They next chose to try ulvan, which can be derived from ordinary seaweed.

Ulvan is derived from the marine algae Ulva, often known as 'sea lettuce,' and is consumed in Japan, the Philippines, New Zealand, and Hawaii, according to the study. Ulvan has previously been reported to be effective against viruses in agriculture as well as some human viruses.

Ulva algae was grown, the ulvan extracted, and transferred to the Southern Research Institute in Alabama. The researchers there created a cellular model to test the activity of the substance created in Golberg's lab.

The cells were exposed to both the coronavirus and to ulvan. It was found that, in the presence of ulvan, the coronavirus did not infect cells.

"In other words, ulvan prevents the cells from being infected with coronavirus," Goldberg said.

The best thing, he said, would be to vaccinate the entire planet. However, it is evident that this is unlikely to happen - at least in the near future.

For the past eight years, Golberg and his team have been researching seaweed for diverse compounds, primarily for the food industry. However, he stated that during the first lockdown, they began to consider how they could assist in the pandemic's solution.

They recognized that certain seaweed compounds had antiviral characteristics from previous research and opted to test them against COVID.

He pointed out that the ulvan the researchers used was actually a blend of several natural substances, and that more research is needed to establish which one is the most effective at preventing infection. Furthermore, experiments must be conducted on small animals, monkeys, and, of course, humans.

Even with unlimited funding, Goldberg believes that bringing this product to market will take time.