May 14, 2020 / By James Rogers | Fox News
Scientists in Germany have identified potential cellular targets for treating SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.
“A team of biochemists and virologists at Goethe University in Frankfurt and the Frankfurt University Hospital were able to observe how human cells change upon infection with SARS-CoV-2,” explained Goethe University in a statement. “The scientists tested a series of compounds in laboratory models and found some which slowed down or stopped virus reproduction.”
The research project, which started less than three months ago, is already being harnessed for drug testing.
Scientists, for example, discovered that one of the substances that stopped viral reproduction in a cell culture system was 2-Deoxy-D-Glucose (2-DG). The substance interferes directly with the carbohydrate metabolism necessary for viral reproduction, they said.
