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A group of scientists from Stanford University, in the United States, proposes the use of a genetic editing technique, known as Crispr, to puncture the new coronavirus and prevent its replication within human cells.
The scientists’ proposal, carried out in a scientific article published in the journal Cell and tested in cell culture, is to use the system as scissors that recognize the genome of the virus installed inside the cell and make a cut to prevent the device from generating copies. of infectious agent work.
The publication is available on the scientific journal’s website in a version not yet finalized, but already reviewed by other researchers.
The new coronavirus enters the cell and releases the RNA, where the invader’s genetic material is located. Once inside, the virus uses the cell itself to make copies of itself. These copies start from there to infect other cells.
“The Crispr system is an arsenal that bacteria use to protect themselves from viruses,” says biologist Natália Pasternak, a researcher at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at USP. “The whole idea [do artigo] it is based on the technique of bacteria, which use enzymes to recognize certain sequences in the RNA of the virus and cut them, which makes the virus infeasible, “he explains.
Research on therapies that use gene editing techniques to combat disease is recent and has intensified since the 2000s.
The researchers trained enzymes to find a target in the RNA of the new coronavirus and eliminate it. For the technique to work, you need to target the parts of the virus that are essential to it. “It is a very elegant strategy,” says the biologist.
The researchers tested the technique to destroy artificial parts of the new coronavirus and the virus that causes H1N1 and verify the viability of the mechanism. The laboratory where the experiment was conducted cannot handle the new active coronavirus, which requires a safer space. The way out was to test the artificial parts of the virus.
According to published results, the mechanism significantly reduced the presence of the virus in the cells of the respiratory epithelium, the layer that covers most of the organs of the respiratory system and where the new coronavirus is installed. But the authors of the article recall that the studies are still preliminary and that the full development of the method may take some time.
“It is an interesting technique, but [o artigo] It is only an initial sample. It is still far from being something we can use on a daily basis to protect people from infections, ”says Carlos Menck, a biologist and researcher at USP’s Center for Human Genome and Stem Cell Research.
According to experts, one of the greatest challenges of the technique is the development of a system capable of delivering this mechanism to the body. Since the urgency now is to seek treatment for a respiratory disease, such as that caused by Covid-19, the most feasible would be to establish an inhalation scheme for the mouth and nose.
“Making the technique work in cell culture is easier. But the active and replicating virus poses another situation. It is more difficult to put this system into the lung and get it to the correct cells. This is the biggest challenge, “says Pasternak.
Although the mechanism was not completely viable during the current pandemic, the scientists add that it would be a good shield to be used against unknown viruses that may appear in the future.
“With some adaptations, the technique can be used against other viruses. Considering that antivirals are difficult to produce, with this technique we would be better prepared for the future. This is the greatest value of this research ”, concludes Pasternak.
