LSU researcher may have found new potential coronavirus treatment

quote:

---

BATON ROUGE — During a lecture on the Molecular & Cell Biology and Immunopathogenesis of coronaviruses attended virtually by more than 125 people, Dr. Konstantin “Gus” Kousoulas, head of the Department of Pathobiological Sciences at the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine, revealed that the drug Nelfinavir mesylate (NFV, brand name Viracept), holds exceptional promise in limiting COVID-19 infections. Viracept was developed as a protease inhibitor in the treatment of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV).

---

quote:

---

The work revealed that Viracept inhibited the ability of a key protein of the virus, the Spike Glycoprotein that protrudes from the surface of the virus and is also found on the surface of infected cells, to facilitate membrane fusion of adjacent cells. Membrane fusion is crucial for virus entry into cells and spread of the virus from one cell to adjacent cells escaping the extracellular spaces and neutralizing antibodies. Viracept was able to inhibit membrane fusion at levels that are typically used in human patients to combat Human Immunodeficiency Virus infections.

---