New discovery opens up hope in the fight against SARS‑CoV‑2 virus

A major step forward in research against the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus has just been announced by scientists at KU Leuven University and the Center for Drug Design and Discovery (CD3).

The research team identified the molecule CIM-834 as having the ability to completely inhibit viral replication through a novel mechanism.

The study, conducted by scientists from KU Leuven University, was published in the prestigious scientific journal Nature, marking a breakthrough in the fight against the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus.

Scientists have found a way to completely stop the virus from replicating through a previously unknown mechanism.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic broke out five years ago, scientists have been scrambling to find effective treatments in addition to developing vaccines.

Although some treatments have been developed, mainly for high-risk patients, many challenges remain, prompting researchers to continue searching for new, more effective drugs.

The research team led by Professor Johan Neyts, a virologist at the Rega Institute, in collaboration with CD3 led by Patrick Chaltin, carried out a rigorous screening process from a huge database of hundreds of thousands of potential molecules.

Professor Neyts said the team randomly screened about 350,000 molecules, hoping to find a substance that could block the replication of the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus.

After extensive testing, they identified the molecule CIM-834, a potent inhibitor that completely blocks the replication of this virus.

Professor Neyts explained that the CIM-834 molecule works through a completely new mechanism, disabling the process of linking virus cells into a complete virus, thereby preventing the spread of the virus.

Professor Neyts stressed that the CIM-834 molecule has proven highly effective in laboratory animals, marking an important breakthrough in the fight against the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus. However, he also noted that it will take several more years to commercialize drugs based on this molecule.

He proposed building a strategic stockpile of antiviral inhibitors for each family of dangerous viruses, allowing for a rapid response to future disease threats.

This discovery not only opens up opportunities to develop more effective treatments for the SARS‑CoV‑2 virus but also lays the groundwork for research on inhibitors against many other families of viruses./.

(Vietnam News Agency/Vietnam+)

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/phat-hien-moi-mo-ra-hy-vong-trong-cuoc-chien-chong-virus-sarscov2-post1023927.vnp