Existing drugs used to treat diabetes, obesity and ageing can potentially be used to treat COVID-19, researchers from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research (IISER) Bhopal have claimed.
They have recently published a review of the biomolecular relationships among COVID-19, ageing and diabetes.
Dr Amjad Husain, Principal Scientist, and Chief Executive Officer of the Innovation and Incubation Center for Entrepreneurship (IICE), IISER Bhopal, along with researchers from the University of Arizona have presented that in addition to these drugs, some similar, naturally existing biomolecules can also be explored as potential drugs for Covid treatment.
Highlighting the research, the principal scientist at IICE said, “With the nearly-two-year-long COVID-19 pandemic continuing to ravage the world, we are beginning to slowly understand the virus and its functioning.”
Effects of viral infections are severe on the ageing population and people with diabetic conditions, IISER Bhopal said, adding that studies are being conducted worldwide on the effects of aging and diabetes on the short and long-term outcomes of the COVID-19 infection.
“The review shows that at the molecular level, there are intersecting pathways that are common to diabetes, ageing, and COVID-19. All three conditions are associated with oxidative stress and lowering of the immune response and complications arising from them lead to the onset of numerous other diseases such as cardiovascular disorders, eye diseases, neuropathy (nerve diseases), and nephropathy (kidney problems),” the institute said.
“There is an urgent need to shortlist effective therapeutics from the existing pool of potential compounds,” as the time taken to discover a new drug and its approval takes longer said the lead researcher, Dr Husain.
