In the race to produce a coronavirus vaccine, some companies are experimenting with a novel approach using gene therapy. . . .

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The new technique—still in the early stages of research—involves taking antibodies from the blood of someone who has survived COVID-19 and isolating their genetic material. Doctors would then inject the DNA into the arm or leg of a patient, where it would provide instructions for the muscle to produce more antibodies to fight the virus. The gene therapy technique could provide immunity or lessen the severity of the disease in those already infected.

Doctors could enhance the treatment with a gene gun. The device delivers an electric shock that causes the muscle cells to pop open for an instant, increasing absorption of the injected DNA. The procedure could, within just hours, turn the muscle into an antibody-producing factory. . . .

Traditional vaccines depend on the recipient’s immune system to mount a protective response against the virus. But it takes several weeks for a body to generate an immune response strong enough to provide protection. Some peoples’ bodies can’t do it at all, particularly the elderly and others at high risk for COVID-19. With the new treatment, the muscles could produce protective levels of the antibody within a day or two. The antibody production could last weeks, or even months, regardless of the strength of the patient’s immune system.

Vaccines usually only work if given before someone contracts the disease. But the gene therapy can neutralize the virus even in an active infection.

Scientists have not yet tested this method of preventing and treating COVID-19 in humans. . . .

DNA injections might also prove useful as an inexpensive way to treat cancer and arthritis, Weiner said. Even if scientists cannot develop the technique in time to prevent or treat COVID-19, the research could enable a quick solution to the next pandemic.

“In the future, we will have gone through the drill,” Ji said. “You’ll just snap your gene in.”

Researchers in Israel plan to launch a mini–satellite lab carrying E. coli bacteria into space this week. They hope to gain a better understanding of how bacteria develop drug resistance. . . .

Two weeks after the launch, one of the team’s researchers, Dr. Ohad Gal-Mor, will use a computer to mix the two types of bacteria on the chip. He will virtually monitor how quickly the gene transfer that causes resistance occurs and then replicate the procedure with an identical chip on Earth for comparison, The Times of Israel reported. . . .

The researchers hope to learn how low-gravity inhibits the gene transfer, which could help scientists develop methods to slow the process on Earth.

When COVID-19 began to circulate, demand skyrocketed for personal protective equipment like disposable gowns and face masks. But the material used to make PPE can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria that spread illnesses.

Now, researchers from the University of Pittsburgh Swanson School of Engineering have created a reusable textile coating that prevents viruses from sticking to surfaces. Washing, scrubbing, and scraping can destroy the repellant properties of other materials used for PPE, but not this one. . . .

Leu and his team already knew the coating would repel protein, blood, and bacteria. They tested it with two types of common adenoviruses that cause acute respiratory disease and pink eye, both of which the coating repelled. The material could help prevent the spread of adenoviruses from contaminated surfaces such as chairs in hospital waiting rooms.

Next, researchers will test the coating with coronaviruses like the one that causes COVID-19.

(Excerpt from World. Written by Julia Borg.)

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