Covid-19: IITB team to make gel for nasal passage to prevent virus spread

A team of researchers at IIT-Bombay’s (IITB) Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering (DBB), working on a technology to capture and inactivate SARS-CoV-2, the causative agent of Covid-19 has got the Department of Science and Technology’s (DST) nod for funding.

The Science and Engineering Research Board (SERB), a statutory body under DST, is supporting this technology being developed by Prof Kiran Kondabagil , Prof Rinti Banerjee, Prof Ashutosh Kumar and Prof Shamik Sen from the DBB at IITB.

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Prof Kiran Kondabagil told TOI from Mumbai: “We had only a few days to think and put this proposal together. We have all the expertise in place, and we are trying our best to get to where we want very quickly. Our idea is to prevent it from actually entering the body itself, as we know that in most cases of viral infection happens through the nasal passage. So we’ve proposed a gel that could be applied in the nasal cavity or apply on the masks.”

The funding, DST said, will help the team develop a gel that can be applied to nasal passage, which is a major entry point of the virus. “This solution is not only expected to protect the safety of health workers, but can also lead to reduction in community transmission of Covid-19, thereby helping disease management,” the DST said.

Prof Ashutosh Sharma, secretary, DST said, “Our health care workers and others working in the front-line of fighting against the virus deserve a fool-proof, 200% protection. The nasal gel being developed in conjunction with other protective measures, will provide a strong extra layer of defense.”

Given the contagious nature of the virus, health providers including doctors and nurses are at maximum risk while taking care of Covid-19 patients, particularly asymptomatic ones who cannot be detected and pose a greater risk in spreading the disease.

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The team is planning a two-pronged approach to limit transmission of the virus: Primarily, since viruses replicate within host cells of the lungs, the first component of the strategy will be to inhibit binding of viruses to host cells. While this is expected to reduce host cell infection, viruses will still remain active, therefore, raising the need to inactivate them.

Secondly, biological molecules would be incorporated, which would inactivate the trapped viruses in a manner similar to that of detergents. Upon completion, this approach will lead to development of gels that can be locally applied in the nasal cavity.

“We will capture the virus specifically and inactivate it in about 30 minutes of the capture. To achieve this we will generate specific molecules that will bind to the virus very tightly. Once this is done, other molecules like lipids and some other formulation will be used to disintegrate the virus. We cannot reveal more now because it is proprietary,” Kondabagil added.

The team has expertise in the areas encompassing virology, structural biology, biophysics, biomaterials, and drug delivery and it is expected that the technology would be ready in about nine months.