Discovery at LSU Health New Orleans of Compound Could Treat and Protect Against COVID

Researchers at LSU-Health New Orleans have created a compound that mimics a protective chemical in our brain and retina of the eye and discover it can also protect against COVID. Director of the Neuroscience Center Dr. Nicolas Bazan experimented with compound and its effect on the lung.

“When the virus began, I said well how about if we reposition this molecule and test them to see if they protect the lung against the virus, and sure enough they do,” said Bazan.

Bazan who works with neurological disorders like Parkinson’s said the brain releases a chemical to protect itself when injured so he worked to recreate the compound and see if it could defend the lungs, which the most affected by COVID.

“When we add our compounds, we are able to protect the entrance of the virus and also clearly protect the integrity of the lung,” said Bazan.

In testing the protective chemical, Bazan said it can be used as therapeutic treatment and prevention of the virus. He said the lungs produce a similar protective compound already but not enough needed to combat COVID.

“You know the virus is very complex and obviously the best, of the best, of the best is a vaccine but we need something complementary to the vaccine which is this type of an approach,” said Bazan.

The therapy still has to undergo clinical research.