An unpatented cure for various liver disease, UDCA (ursodeoxycholic acid) may prevent infection with Covid-19 and protect against future variants of the coronavirus, scientists in the UK, led by a hepatologist from the Greek diaspora, have said.

The corresponding experiments were carried out in organelles (mini human organs), animals, human organs from donors, healthy volunteers and patients.

Researchers led by Dr. Photios Sambasiotis Cambridge Stem Cell Institute Wellcome-MRC at the University of Cambridge made a corresponding publication in the journal Nature.

The study showed that the drug can “lock” the “port of entry” (ACE2 receptor on the cell surface) that the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus uses to enter and infect human cells.

Because the drug targets human cells rather than a constantly mutating virus, it is expected that it may retain its protective efficacy against future variants of the coronavirus or against other coronaviruses that may emerge.

If the results are confirmed by larger clinical trials, scientists will have a life-saving new drug in their hands, very useful, especially for people who have not received the vaccine or for whom the vaccine does not work, and for people at high risk of infection. infection.

As Dr. Sambasiotis stated, “Vaccines protect us by strengthening our immune system to recognize the virus and destroy it, or at least weaken it. But vaccines don’t work for everyone, like people with weakened immune systems, and not everyone has access to them. The virus can also mutate into new vaccine-resistant variants. Thus, we were interested in finding alternative ways to protect against coronavirus infection that do not depend on the immune system and can complement vaccination. We have found a way to close the door to the virus by preventing it from entering our cells in the first place and protecting us from infection.”

Professor Andrew Owen from the University of Liverpool noted that “while we need standard controlled randomized clinical trials to confirm these findings, the data provide strong evidence that UDCA can work as a drug that protects against Covid-19 and complements vaccination programs, especially for vulnerable groups.” population”.

Sambasiotis, a graduate of the University of Athens School of Medicine in hepatology and a Ph.D. from Cambridge, and co-founder of biotech company Bilitech LTD, said that “We have used UCDA in the clinic for many years, so we know it is safe and very well tolerated. It is inexpensive, can be produced quickly in large quantities, is easy to store or transport, making it handy during outbreaks, especially against vaccine-resistant variants, and may be the only line of defense while we wait for new vaccines to be developed. We are optimistic that this drug can be an important weapon in our fight against Covid-19.”

RES-EMI