The University of Louisville has received funding from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to develop a nasal spray to prevent serious viral respiratory infections such as COVID-19 using Q-Griffithsin, a drug compound developed and co-owned by UofL.

The one-year project, funded through an $8.5 million agreement from the DoD, includes developing the spray, testing the formulation in lab studies and conducting a Phase I clinical trial. The researchers expect the spray to be used to protect frontline health care workers, military personnel living in close quarters and other essential workers, as well as vulnerable people for whom a vaccine might not be fully protective.

Kenneth E. Palmer, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Director of the  Center for Predictive Medicine and the Helmsley Charitable Trust Endowed Chair in Plant-based Pharmaceutical Research is leading the project and Joshua L. Fuqua, Ph.D. Assistant Professor of Pharmacology & Toxicology is managing the project.  

Further information is available at http://www.uoflnews.com/releases/uofl-to-develop-and-test-nasal-spray-to-prevent-covid-19/.