Good News! Bengaluru Doctor Claims To Be Close To Finding Cure For COVID-19
Bengaluru-based oncologist Dr Vishal Rao has applied for a government review of a new concoction of drugs developed by his team. The treatment involves retriggering of the immune system which gets compromised after a person is infected by Sars-Cov-2 virus. There is still no vaccine for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.
COVID-19, the respiratory disease caused by the new coronavirus, has spread to every continent except Antarctica. While there is still no vaccine for the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, scientists across the world are working to develop one.
ANI
In the race for finding a cure for the deadly disease, Bengaluru-based oncologist, Dr Vishal Rao, has applied for a government review of a new concoction of drugs developed by his team, which he says claims will prove to be effective.
According to reports, the treatment involves retriggering of the immune system which gets compromised after a person is infected by Sars-Cov-2 virus, said the doctor. He clarified that the medicine which was under preparation was ¡°not a vaccine¡±.
Surgical oncologist Dr Rao said that he had conceived of a mixture of cytokines, which when injected into coronavirus positive patients could re-activate their immune system, as reported by news agency ANI.
Cytokines are secreted by certain cells of the immune system and have an effect on other cells, as per medical definition.
"Human body cells release interferon chemicals to kill viruses. But it can't be released by cells in the case of COVID-19 cases, leading to a weak immune system. We got hold of some preprint suggesting that interferon is effective in COVID-19," Dr Rao was quoted as saying by ANI.
#WATCH We have built a concoction of cytokines which can be injected to reactivate the immune system in #COVID19 patients. We're in a very initial stage&hope to be ready with its first set by this weekend. We have applied to the govt for an expedited review: Oncologist Vishal Rao pic.twitter.com/vymRyTrL0R
¡ª ANI (@ANI) March 27, 2020
Interferons are a group of signalling proteins made and released by host cells in response to the presence of several viruses. In a typical scenario, a virus-infected cell will release interferons causing nearby cells to heighten their anti-viral defenses.
¡°We got hold of some preprint suggesting that interferon is effective in Covid-19,¡± Rao was quoted as saying.
According to a research, published in the journal Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy, several approaches to treat Covid-19 were being developed, including blocking the virus from entering human cells, disrupting its replication, suppressing the human immune response and vaccines, said another agency report.
The study says Sars-Cov-2 is easily transmissible due to the spike proteins on its surface which bind efficiently to the molecule ¡°angiotensin-converting enzyme 2¡± (ACE2) on the surfaces of human cells. ' The most promising compound is remdesivir (GS-5734), a nucleotide analog prodrug currently in clinical trials for treating Ebola virus infections. Remdesivir inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV and MERS-CoV in tissue cultures, and it displayed efficacy in non-human animal models,' reads the study.
As of now, the researchers say, the most promising antiviral for fighting Sars-Cov-2 is Remdesivir, which blocks its replication as seen in laboratories. However, they said more data is needed on its effectiveness.
