Compounds May Block Coronavirus Infection

(WCJB)
Published: Mar. 12, 2020 at 6:59 PM EDT
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People all over North-Central Florida are making sure they are prepared for the Coronavirus. There is only one reported case in the area, but one UF researcher is already studying a compound to fight the disease.

"Right now the one positive is all we have. We are certainly in close contact with the health department and as tests come back and they are determined whether they are positive or negative. Should any positive show up we will know about it right away and we will share that information with the public," said Mark Sexton the Director of Communications for Alachua County.

Dr. David Ostrov said he is currently studying multiple compounds that he believes may be able to help fight coronavirus. UF Health Shands is caring for a 68-year old Georgia woman that has tested positive for the Coronavirus but others have taken the test.

"So the next step is validation so these candidates need to be tested in assays to make sure that they actually block the interaction between the spike protein on the surface of Coronavirus and the human ACE-2 protein," said Dr. Ostrov an Associate Professor fo the College of Medicine.

The Global Virus Network, an International Group of Scientists is taking no risks and has already contacted a UF researcher to help find compounds that may be able to protect against the disease. Dr. David Ostrov said there is a process that this would need to go through for the final process to be released.

He said there are multiple factors before it can even be used in clinical trials.

"In terms of bringing this into the clinic one needs to consider whether or not the compounds are approved for use. If they are currently approved for use that means we know a lot about the safety and toxicity of these compounds. They can be brought into clinical trial rapidly on the order of months rather than years if they are already approved drugs," said Dr. Ostrov.

In the meantime, county health workers will continue to test those who are at high risk or may have symptoms of the Coronavirus.

"Anyone who has symptoms or meets the criteria for someone that would be at risk for Covid-19 has been tested. There is no shortage of tests available in Alachua County," said Sexton.

The State Department of Health has opened a Coronavirus information line. The number is (866) 779-6121.