Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2022 Jul 28;17(7):e0272377.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272377. eCollection 2022.

Removal of clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants by an affinity resin containing Galanthus nivalis agglutinin

Melanie Gooldy  1 , Christelle M Roux  1 , Steven P LaRosa  2 , Nicole Spaulding  1 , Charles J Fisher Jr  2
Affiliations

Removal of clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants by an affinity resin containing Galanthus nivalis agglutinin

Melanie Gooldy et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

The Coronavirus -19 (COVID-19) pandemic due to the SARS-CoV-2 virus has now exceeded two years in duration. The pandemic has been characterized by the development of a succession of variants containing mutations in the spike protein affecting infectiousness, virulence and efficacy of vaccines and monoclonal antibodies. Resistance to vaccination and limitations in the current treatments available require the ongoing development of therapies especially for those with severe disease. The plant lectin Galanthus nivalis binds to mannose structures in the viral envelope. We hypothesized that viral binding should be unaffected by spike protein mutations. Known concentrations of seven clinically relevant SARS-CoV-2 variants were spiked in medium and passed three times over columns containing 1 gm of GNA affinity resin. Percent decrease in viral titer was compared with a control sample. Viral capture efficiency was found to range from 53 to 89% for all variants. Extrapolation indicated that an adult Aethlon Hemopurifier® would have more than sufficient binding capacity for viral loads observed in adult patients with severe COVID-19 infection.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

SPL and CJF are employees and receive salaries from Aethlon Medical, Inc. which funded this study performed at CUBRC, Inc. The contributions of these authors are correct in the authors’ contributions section of the submission. Specifically, SPL adapted the clinical protocol from the medical literature. SPL also analyzed the data and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. Author CJF also analyzed the data and made comments on the manuscript draft. Aethlon Medical, Inc funded this study and is the manufacturer of the Hemopurifier, an experimental device in clinical development that contains the affinity resin tested in this study. This commercial affiliation does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Experimental set-up.
a. Set-up of columns in clamp/ ring stand. b. Schematic diagram.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. https://covid19.who.int/
    1. SARS-CoV-2 variants, spike mutations and immune. Nat Rev Microbiol 2021;19 (7):409–424. doi: 10.1038/s41579-021-00573-0 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Mahmood N, Hay AJ. An ELISA utilizing immobilised snowdrop lectin GNA for the detection of envelope glycoproteins of HIV and SIV. J Immunol Methods. (1992) 151:9–13. doi: 10.1016/0022-1759(92)90101-x - DOI - PubMed
    1. Amundson DE, Shah US, de Necochea-Campion R, et al.. Removal of COVID-19 Spike Protein, Whole Virus, Exosomes, and Exosomal MicroRNAs by the Hemopurifier® Lectin-Affinity Cartridge in Critically Ill Patients With COVID-19 Infection. Front Med (Lausanne) 2021;8: 744141. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tullis, RH. 2007.Method for removal of viruses from blood using lectin affinity hemodialysis. US 2007/0218458 A1

Publication types

Supplementary concepts