Durham Reporter

Researchers at the Duke University School of Medicine are looking at a new way to prevent COVID-19, despite any future mutations the virus might undergo.

Dr. Qianben Wang is leading a team that is applying CRISPR technology as a new option to prevent and treat COVID, a WNCN news report said this week. CRISPR is a method that allows a medicine to temporarily decrease an enzyme in the lungs that allows the virus to infect cells.

“This is just to prevent the virus to enter the cell,” Wang said in the report, summing up the goal of the new approach. 

The method, which was tested in mice by delivering the medication through an IV, is not intended to offer long-term protection; the report said. It is being tested as a short-term way to ward off the illness.

The researchers want to develop a way to administer the medication to people through inhalers.

Wang noted that the approach has shown promise in mice; and if it proves effective in people, it could be used as a way to minimize contracting the virus.

“You can do that before you attend the party or begin travel or after the travel,” he said in the report. 

The method is being studied both as a way to prevent getting the virus and as a treatment if one is infected, but it will be a while before scientists find out if it is a viable treatment for people; the report said. Before it can be tested in humans, scientists must first show the treatment is safe and effective in additional animal studies. 

Ultimately, the treatment could help people who are immune-compromised and do not respond well to vaccines, or it could add an extra layer of protection for people who are already vaccinated; Wang said.