A drug created by a Texas A&M University professor could become a useful treatment for patients with COVID-19.
The compound called MPI8 is designed to target a specific enzyme in SARS-CoV-2 and stop the virus from replicating.
Less virus in your body would mean a faster recovery and fewer COVID-19 symptoms.
"It's gonna serve as a really good treatment option," said biological chemist and lead researcher Dr. Wenshe Ray Liu, professor in the Department of Chemistry at Texas A&M University.
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According to the Texas A&M University System, the potential effectiveness of MPI8 led Sorrento Therapeutics of San Diego, Calif., to seek exclusive intellectual property rights to the ingredient.
An agreement between the company and Texas A&M University System was announced in August.
Liu said the molecule MPI8 could be highly effective in treating not only the original COVID-19 viral strain, but also the more aggressive variants such as delta.
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Liu said that Sorrento hopes to complete pre-clinical studies of MPI8 by the end of the year and seek FDA approval to begin clinical trials on humans in early 2022.
You can read the university's announcement about the drug here.
