Could a Canadian sea sponge help prevent COVID-19 infections? [View all]

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Could a Canadian sea sponge help prevent COVID-19 infections?
University of British Columbia researchers have identified three compounds that were effective against several variants, all derived from natural sources.

By Alessia Passafiume, Staff Reporter, The Toronto Star

Tue., Jan. 10, 2023timer3 min. read

https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2023/01/10/heres-how-a-compound-found-in-a-sea-sponge-in-bc-could-prevent-covid-19-infections.html

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A new study found that three naturally derived Canadian compounds — including one derived from a B.C. sea sponge — effectively prevented COVID-19 infection in human cells and can pave the way for developing new medicines to treat the virus’s ever-growing list of variants.

In the study led by University of British Columbia scientists, international researchers investigated more than 350 compounds derived from natural sources in countries such as Canada, the United States and Brazil, including plants, fungi and marine sponges, to find new antiviral drugs to treat COVID variants.

Natural products are typically a source of antimicrobial agents and have been successful in anti-cancer drugs, said the study’s senior author, François Jean, an associate professor in UBC’s department of microbiology and immunology. Given the success in other areas of medicine, the researchers wanted to determine if natural products could create antiviral drugs to prevent COVID infections.

But what is most promising, according to Jean, is the potential for these compounds to be effective against emerging COVID variants and even influenza and RSV — respiratory infections that have wreaked havoc on Canadian hospitals during a “tripledemic” of viruses this season.

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