How can nanotechnology help to combat COVID-19? Opportunities and urgent need

Abstract

Incidents of viral outbreaks have increased at an alarming rate over the past decades. The most recent human coronavirus known as COVID-19 (SARS-CoV-2) has already spread around the world and shown R₀ values from 2.2 to 2.68. However, the ratio between mortality and number of infections seems to be lower in this case in comparison to other human coronaviruses (such as severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV) and Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV)). These outbreaks have tested the limits of healthcare systems and have posed serious questions about management using conventional therapies and diagnostic tools. In this regard, the use of nanotechnology offers new opportunities for the development of novel strategies in terms of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of COVID-19 and other viral infections. In this review, we discuss the use of nanotechnology for COVID-19 virus management by the development of nano-based materials, such as disinfectants, personal protective equipment, diagnostic systems and nanocarrier systems, for treatments and vaccine development, as well as the challenges and drawbacks that need addressing.

Keywords: Coronavirus; Nano-vaccines; Nanoparticles; Nanosensors; Nanotechnology; SARS-CoV-2.

Fig. 1

Schematic representation of SARS-CoV-2 infection and the nanotechnologies tools to prevent and control COVID-19. The virus entering into cell by the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor and use the host cell’s machinery to reproduce and contaminate new host cells. Nano-based materials could help in: (i) enhanced the speed and sensitivity of virus detection; (ii) help in the development of more efficient and safer treatment and vaccines and (iii) improve the safety of healthcare workers through the development of nano-based Personal Protective equipment (PPE)

Fig. 2

Nanotechnology applications for production of PPEs. The use of nanomaterials can give new properties making the materials more resistant, efficacious, comfortable and safer for use

Fig. 3

Differentially functionalized ASOs with their sequences are represented in a. The proposed concept behind the agglomeration of gold nanoparticles, when capped with the ASOs, is schematically presented in b (Reprinted with permission from Moitra et al. [109])

Fig. 4

Schematic diagram of COVID-19 FET sensor operation procedure. Graphene as a sensing material is selected, and SARS-CoV-2 spike antibody is conjugated onto the graphene sheet via 1-pyrenebutyric acid N-hydroxysuccinimide ester, which is an interfacing molecule as a probe linker (Reprinted with permission from Seo et al. [118])

Fig. 5

Influence of CQDs, prepared by hydrothermal carbonization, on binding of HCoV-229E virus to cells: a inhibition of protein S receptor interaction, and b inhibition of viral RNA genome replication (Reprinted with permission from Loczechin et al. [151])