Nanoparticles are also able to inhibit viral infectivity irreversibly by permanently damaging the virion, which gives hope for a true, broad-spectrum antiviral drug that will remain its efficacy as the virus-compound complex dissociates, leaving viruses free to restart their replication cycle.

Smith College

Airborne nanomaterials are optimally suited to penetrate into the deep lung (where alveolar epithelial type II cells (AECII) serve as a reservoir of the virus), due to the distinguished physicochemical properties of such aerosols. Nanomedicine is actively pursuing ideas to deliver drugs, therapeutic proteins, and mRNAs by exploiting nanodevices for pulmonary delivery.


Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme 2 (ACE2) and Spike Protein Interaction Inhibition

Weiss C, Carriere M, Fusco L, et al. Toward Nanotechnology-Enabled Approaches against the COVID-19 Pandemic. ACS Nano. 2020;14(6):6383-6406. doi:10.1021/acsnano.0c03697

Toward Nanotechnology-Enabled Approaches against the COVID-19 Pandemic

Nanomaterials as Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Drugs

Nanomaterials efficiently adsorb biomolecules and form a so-called biomolecular corona. This passive, nontargeted adsorption might be utilized to bind viruses, provided that the selected nanomaterial is relatively biocompatible. One of the most recent strategies to inhibit viral uptake is based on administration of recombinant ACE2 to inhibit binding competitively via the spike S1 protein. Knowing that multivalency is key to block virus–host interactions reliably, researchers have speculated that a nanostructured carrier could not only improve delivery and cargo stability but also might dramatically enhance binding strength.

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