Cellular Nanosponges Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity

Scientists from different countries and regions around the world are working hard to end the COVID-19 as soon as possible. Recently, the team of Professor Zhang Liangfang of the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) and the team of Professor Anthony Griffiths of Boston University have reported cellular nanosponges as an effective medical countermeasure to the SARS-CoV-2 virus.

Scientists prepared two types of cellular nanosponges by coating the membrane of human lung epithelial type II cells or the membrane of macrophages on the outside of the nanoparticles. It is worth noting that these cell membranes also carry various protein receptors (including receptors that bind to the new coronavirus) that originally belonged to these cells. In layman's terms, researchers "disguise" nanoparticles into normal cells, and SARS-CoV-2 can’t see through this advanced transfiguration technique. They believe that these nanoparticles are normal cells.

According to the way in which the virus invades the cell, as long as a large amount of nanoparticles are provided, the SARS-CoV-2  around the cell can be "sucked away", thereby preventing the virus from invading normal cells and making the virus lose its ability to hijack the host cell and reproduce.

The researchers verified the effect of these nanosponges on SARS-CoV-2 through cell experiments. Studies have shown that as long as there are 5 mg of nanosponges in 1 ml of liquid, they can respectively reduce the virus's infectivity by 88% (using macrophages) Cell membrane) and 93% (using the cell membrane of lung epithelial cells), making them difficult to invade human cells.

It is shown that, following incubation with the nanosponges, SARS-CoV-2 is neutralized and unable to infect cells. The research provides a new research direction for the treatment of COVID-19.

References: Qiangzhe Zhang, et al., Cellular Nanosponges Inhibit SARS-CoV-2 Infectivity. Nano Letters 2020.DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.0c02278