Nasal spray more effective against COVID-19 than facemask.

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Nasal spray more effective against COVID-19 than facemask.

A new studies has suggested that a spray could prevent you from catching Coronavirus and more effective than the used of facemasks, according to DailyMail.

Sneezing

In the wake of the discovery, a group of experts at the university of California, San Francisco has created "AeroNabs", which can be inhaled.

They hope it will act as a short-term tool to prevent thousands of people becoming infected before a vaccine is eventually discovered.

AeroNabs contain nanobodies, which are antibodies like immune protein found in blood of the llamas, camels and alpacas.  

But the nanobodies in the formula are synthetic and have been engineered to target SARS-CoV-2, the virus behind the pandemic.

Lab tests have shown the tiny proteins — about a quarter of the size of antibodies found in humans  — can block the coronavirus from entering cells.    

But the AeroNabs formula still needs to be proven in clinical trials, to see whether it really can prevent a person from actually getting infected.

Nanobodies are so small that synthetic versions could be produced in mass quickly, the researchers say.

Dr Peter Walter, a professor of biochemistry and biophysics at UCSF and co-inventor, said: 'Far more effective than wearable forms of personal protective equipment, we think of AeroNabs as a molecular form of PPE that could serve as an important stopgap until vaccines provide a more permanent solution to Covid-19.

'For those who cannot access or don't respond to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines, AeroNabs could be a more permanent line of defense against Covid-19.'  

Nanobodies were originally discovered in a Belgian lab in the late 1980s and have intrigued scientists worldwide ever since. 

Researchers across the world have turned their attention to nanobodies, in hope that they can be tailored to neutralise the coronavirus. 

Source: DailyMail

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