Hebrew University researchers examine lung cells
( Photo: Daniel Hanoch )
–
–
–
–
Treatment approved by the FDA (Food and Drug administration) to treat cholesterol could significantly reduce the symptoms of patients with Covid-19 in a few days, report the Israeli media.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem have discovered that fenofibrate (commercially called Ticor) may inhibit the ability of Covid-19 to grow in lung cells.
According to a study by researchers at the Hebrew University’s MicroTissue Lab, the drug has been shown to be effective in treating infected human tissue. Its effectiveness will now have to be proven by clinical trials on humans.
Professor Nahmias has developed a hypothesis that the virus needs an accumulation of fat in the lung cells to reproduce in the lungs. Viruses do not have the ability to multiply independently, so they do so inside cells. Professor Nahmias and his colleagues thus analyzed the behavior of the virus using robotic systems in the laboratory.
“We have seen that the reaction of the lungs to SARS-CoV-2 is mainly metabolic and leads to fat accumulation. Our data indicate that this abnormal accumulation is responsible for the worsening of the patient’s condition ”said the professor.
Laboratory tests have shown that fenofibrate, approved in 1975 for the treatment of cholesterol, but replaced by statins, allows lung cells to quickly eliminate fat.
The researchers discovered that the drug blocked the ability of the coronavirus to “hijack” the metabolism of lung cells and thus inhibited its reproduction and, therefore, the development of the disease.
