By SDA

A protein produced by the human immune system can strongly inhibit coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV2, the causative agent of Covid-19. This raised hopes for new therapeutic approaches, the University of Bern announced on 28th July.

The study by the international team with the involvement of the Institute for Virology and Immunology (IVI) at the University of Bern and the Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Science (BLV) shows that an endogenous protein in our immune system prevents the new corona virus from fusing with host cells.

"From this, indications of possible treatment strategies can be derived," co-author Stephanie Pfänder from the Ruhr University Bochum is quoted in the message. In the study, it was according to the Bernese Professor Volker Thiel who found out what factors prevented Corona viruses from skip from animals to humans.

“Needle in a haystack”

Thiel is now quoted as having “found the needle in a haystack, so to speak”. The so-called LY6E protein prevents coronaviruses from causing an infection.

Researchers had previously found that the LY6E protein increases the infectivity of influenza. What is new is the discovery that LY6E has the opposite effect on corona viruses compared to flu viruses: it prevents infection.

It does not trigger severe acute respiratory syndrome

The proof was successful in the animal model. The researchers emphasize that the mouse which was infected by coronavirus used in the experiment behave differs significantly from the virus of the current Covid 19 outbreak. For example, it does not trigger severe acute respiratory syndrome, but might trigger hepatitis.

However, the mouse coronavirus is widely recognized as a model for understanding the basic concepts of coronavirus replication and immune responses in a living animal.

(translated from German by Xiaoyan Hu)

Read the original story here.