Recent Patents and Advances on Nanotechnologies against Coronavirus

Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is one of the seven known coronaviruses infecting humans; HKU1, 229E, NL63, OC43, Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV), and SARS-CoV-2, the last three of which can cause severe symptoms in patients. COVID-19, previously known as 2019 novel coronavirus, caused by SARS-CoV-2, was first reported in Wuhan, China, in late 2019, and quickly resulted in a major epidemic across the world. Although the origin of SARS-CoV-2 is not clear yet, genome sequencing results suggest that this is the third reported spillover of an animal coronavirus to humans, from 2002. The development of detection, therapeutic, and prevention strategies for COVID-19 is a fundamental task towards curing infected people and competing with the pandemic. Because of their similarities, scientists believe that treatment/detection methods similar to what were used against the illnesses caused by SARS-CoV or MERS-CoV may be effective for curing/detecting COVID-19. Here, we review the recent nano technology techniques used for treating and testing SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2, and potential therapeutic options for curing COVID-19.

Automated summary

SARS-CoV-2, one of the seven known coronaviruses infecting humans, has caused a global epidemic. The development of detection, therapeutic, and prevention strategies for COVID-19 is crucial for combating the pandemic.