Turkish nasal spray kills coronavirus in 1 minute

The outbreak of COVID-19, which has now affected the whole world, put many microbiologists to work finding solutions. Report informs referring to the Daily Sabah.

While health care professionals labor intensely in laboratories to develop tests, vaccines, and treatments, a nasal spray has been developed at Bursa's Uludağ University that can kill the coronavirus in just one minute.

The solution named Genoxyn, which ultimately kills the virus, was developed by associate professor Dr. Şehime Gülsün Temel, operator Dr. Ahmet Ümit Sabancı, and Dr. Cüneyt Özakın, a faculty member of Uludağ University's Medical Microbiology Department.

The researchers collaborated with academics from Uludağ and Çukurova universities to test the developed solution's antimicrobial and antiviral effects. The study found that the solution prevented the reproduction of bacteria and viruses.

Sabancı said he had been carrying out his studies on protection from disease before the coronavirus pandemic started. "With Cüneyt Özakın, we showed that the solution has antibacterial activity, and after the pandemic began, we thought about whether we could develop this solution to contribute to (the fight against) COVID-19. So, we refined a new oral and nasal spray and sent it to biocompatibility tests," he said.

"It was already known that the transmission points of the virus are the mouth and nose, and our studies determined that the solution both killed and cured the virus on the mouth and nose tissue. The death of the virus in a short time means preventing its entry into the cells and reducing the virus's number. If the solution can prevent contamination, it will be a good protector for us," Sabancı explained.

Meanwhile, Temel proved the solution kills the virus within a minute and, most importantly, showed that the solution does not damage people's epithelial cells in their mucous membranes. "We have even shown that it has a healing effect on these cells. Therefore, this means that it is safe to use as it does not harm human cells," she said.