During the coronavirus pandemic, the Flemish Red Cross launched research to develop a nasal spray to combat the transmission of viruses. Five years on, the spray has proved to be highly effective in stemming the spread of coronavirus among the laboratory animals on which it was tested. Now testing is progressing a stage further and the spray will now be tested on humans to gauge its success in stemming the spread of several viruses, including influenza and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).
The Flemish Red Cross is to test nasal spray to prevent the spread of viruses on humans
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The spray is made from the blood plasma of people that have recovered after having contracted one of the viruses. Their blood often contains antibodies, that can be activated in order to protect vulnerable people.
Professor Hendrik Feys is the head of scientific research at the Flemish Red Cross. He told VRT News that “This gives us a realistic idea of how the spray works. We inoculate certain cells with the virus and add the plasma. If these cells have little or no infection, we can deduce that the method is working. The initial results are positive, but the research must continue until it has reached completion”.
“Vaccines and antiviral molecules remain the cornerstones of the fight against viruses, but a nasal spray developed using convalescent plasma would enable us to react more quickly to any future pandemics” Professor Feys said. “Our research shows that this method is effective as a complementary measure”.
Full results expected within 3 years
“If the results of the first and second phases are conclusive, something that we should know by the end of the year, we will move on to tests on humans. Full results are then expected within three years”.
This technology also has a major advantage in that it is globally accessible and rapidly applicable. Plasma is harvested from anywhere in the world can be processed locally.