“our research in the mice show that earlier is better,” says olmstead. “we know that the compound stops the virus from getting into [our bodies]. once infection has already established, the compound might not be as effective.”
future clinical trials can help nail down that timeline, she added.
several previous treatments, like the drugs approved to treat covid, target enzymes in the virus itself. but n-0385 targets the host enzyme, which exists in both mice and humans. that distinction is important, olmstead says, because of the way we’ve seen the sars‑cov‑2 virus evolve over the last two years.
“the variants of concern have shown us that the virus changes over time,” she says. “so when we target viral enzymes, there’s always the chance that the virus can mutate, and that drug will no longer work against the virus anymore.”
but by targeting the way our cells respond, the nasal spray has the advantage of treating something that remains consistent, rather than the constant moving target of the virus itself.
“it’s a lot more difficult for the virus to change and become resistant to that drug,” she says.
it also means the treatment could work for other viruses, too — the same host enzyme is in play when we’re in contact with other coronaviruses, like the original sars and mers, as well as the common cold.
new insight into how covid gets into our bodies