8/16/2023 0 Comments Covid vaccine spike protein danger![]() ![]() While the protein worked against both versions of the virus, infection with the more aggressive Gamma variant required earlier treatment. In their studies, using both the original viral isolate from Washington State and the Gamma variant (P.1) first detected in Brazil, they found that infected mice infused with their therapeutic ACE2 protein had much lower mortality and showed few signs of severe acute respiratory syndrome. So, the researchers did their studies in a mouse that carries the human ACE2 and develops a severe acute respiratory syndrome somewhat similar to that seen in humans with severe COVID-19. Normal mice don’t get sick from SARS-CoV-2 because the viral spike can’t bind well to the mouse version of the ACE2 receptor. To put it to the test, they conducted studies in mice. In the lab, it also appeared to neutralize the virus as well as monoclonal antibodies used to treat COVID-19. Their version of ACE2, which includes three changes in the protein’s amino acid building blocks, binds the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein much more tightly. They engineered a new soluble version of ACE2 that structurally might work better as a decoy than the original one. Rather than give up on the idea, the UIC team decided to give it a try. The ACE2 drug candidate, which is soluble and degrades in the body, also proved ineffective in neutralizing the virus. However, in this earlier attempt, the clinical trial found no reduction in mortality. The researchers had been intrigued by an earlier clinical trial testing the ACE2 decoy strategy. The findings come from a research team at the University of Illinois Chicago team, led by Asrar Malik and Jalees Rehman, working in close collaboration with their colleagues at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. ![]() Though more study is needed, the researchers say the decoy therapy could potentially be delivered directly to the lungs through an inhaler and used alone or in combination with other COVID-19 treatments. They found in mouse models of severe COVID-19 that intravenous infusion of an engineered ACE2 decoy prevented lung damage and death. Recently, the researchers published their initial results in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, and the early data look promising. With its spikes covered tightly in decoy, SARS-CoV-2 has a more-limited ability to attach to the real ACE2 and infect our cells. The idea is when these ACE2 decoys are administered therapeutically, they will stick to the spike proteins that crown the coronavirus (see image above). How’s that? The decoy is a specially engineered protein particle that mimics the 3D structure of the ACE2 receptor, a protein on the surface of our cells that the virus’s spike proteins bind to as the first step in causing an infection. One innovative idea involves a molecular decoy to thwart the coronavirus. The NIH continues to support the development of some very innovative therapies to control SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19. Posted on February 1st, 2022 by Lawrence Tabak, D.D.S., Ph.D. ‘Decoy’ Protein Works Against Multiple Coronavirus Variants in Early Study ![]()
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