The tests were conducted in both “wet” and “dry” conditions. In the wet test, SARS-CoV-2 was coated on stainless steel disks which were then treated with a wet solution of the BIOPROTECT™ formulation. In the dry test, the BIOPROTECT™ formulation was first applied to stainless steel samples which, 46 days later, were then exposed to a high titer of SARS-CoV-2. Proving the longevity of the BIOPROTECT™ formulation on treated surfaces, tests revealed that the presence of the BIOPROTECT™ formulation maintained the ability to inactivate SARS-CoV-2 to negligible levels. Furthermore, test results from Rega demonstrated that the disks pretreated with the BIOPROTECT™ formulation averaged a 99.7% inactivation of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. All tests conducted were designed to conform with the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and equivalent standards of regulatory agencies in Europe and Australia, to ensure the acceptability and credibility of the results.
“We tested BIOPROTECT™ formulation and found that it eliminated 99.7% of the SARS-CoV-2 present, 46 days after the tested material was treated with BIOPROTECT™ formulation,” said Dr. Johan Neyts, Professor of Virology at the Rega Institute for Medical Research, KU Leuven. “This product is unique and its long-lasting ability to eliminate SARS-CoV-2 far exceeds conventional disinfectants, which makes it very helpful in the battle against COVID-19.” The Rega Institute’s report is accessible here.
“The results of the tests conducted by the Doherty and the Rega Institutes clearly demonstrate that BIOPROTECT™ eradicates SARS-CoV-2 on surfaces and provides continuous residual antimicrobial protection for an extended period of time,” said Dr. Bréchot. “It is clear that effective antimicrobials will be extremely important in containing the COVID-19 pandemic, given the time it will take to implement mass vaccination and fully develop novel therapies. In this context, we are not aware of any microbicide surface treatment that continuously prohibits the growth and surface transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2 for an extended period of time. This represents a significant breakthrough in inhibiting the spread of COVID-19 by preventing surfaces from being contaminated by the virus and stopping the spread of the virus through contact with contaminated surfaces. Identifying and exploring innovative solutions, as well as fostering and facilitating collaboration between academic and industrial partners, be it large pharmaceutical firms or small biotech companies, is one of several ways the GVN can make a consequential contribution to the fight against COVID-19.”
GVN Also Advances The Concept Of The Oral Polio Vaccine As A Preventive Measure Against SARS-CoV-2
The GVN has also advanced a concept developed by Dr. Robert Gallo, The Homer & Martha Gudelsky Distinguished Professor in Medicine, Co-Founder & Director of the Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine and Co-Founder & Chairman of the International Scientific Leadership Board of the Global Virus Network, and by Dr. Konstantin Chumakov, Associate Director for Vaccines at the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) and a GVN Center Director, to use the existing and proven safe Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV) as a preventive measure against SARS-CoV-2. Non-specific protective effects of OPV have been demonstrated several times against a broad set of different virus outbreaks in the 1960’s and 70’s. More recent studies confirmed these observations and revealed that other live vaccines produce pronounced non-specific protective effects, whereas inactivated vaccines do not. Data from randomized clinical studies showed that OPV immunization campaigns reduced all-cause mortality despite the complete absence of poliovirus circulation. The emerging body of evidence suggests that besides inducing specific humoral and cellular immune responses, OPV may activate multiple branches of the immune system, including training innate immunity and thus increasing resistance to a broad spectrum of pathogens, including SARS-CoV-2. The Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, a GVN Center of Excellence, submitted a proposal to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for an 11,000-person clinical trial to demonstrate and establish the efficacy of OPV against SARS-CoV-2.
“The GVN is playing a very meaningful role in the battle against SARS-CoV-2 by coalescing the world’s foremost virologists and COVID-19 specialists to collaboratively share their expertise, findings and research, and by bringing together academia and industry to collaborate on the development and advancement of novel technologies, therapeutics and vaccine candidates for COVID-19,” said Dr. Gallo. “I am pleased the GVN was able to identify laboratories to independently verify the efficacy of BIOPROTECT™, bring the potential benefit of OPV to the forefront of the scientific community and spearhead OPV clinical studies in China, Iran, Russia and the United States.”
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