Some of the worst diseases in the world are caused by viruses. AIDS, Herpes, Rabies, Hepatitis B and C, and Ebola are just some of the examples. Right now, there are few remedies for treating viruses; however, Erez Livneh's team of scientists at Vecoy Nanomedicines is trying to battle them in an innovative way.
Vecoy Nanomedicines is a privately held company based out of Bar Ilan's Nanotechnology Center in Ramat Gan. The company is considered a leader in the application of nanomedicine technologies to the complex issues of viral diseases. "What we are doing is creating nanoparticles that mimic human cells," Livneh tells NoCamels, "on the exterior; they are identical to human cells." These synthetic cells lure viruses into them, and subsequently kill them. "Viruses actually charge into [an] open door to their doom. Our synthesized cells are virus decoys. We can imitate any type of cell we choose to lure any type of virus," says Livneh.
Vecoy's six-person team creates these cells from polymers in the lab, and can create new decoy cells in a matter of weeks. According to Livneh, this is "far quicker than creating a new drug [for a new virus]. It is a rapid solution to an [immediate] crisis."
Full article found here
Posted on Shalom Adventure by: Brenda Miller
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