Terminating the Viral Threat with Artificial Intelligence - Myth or Reality
Last century bacterial infections plagued humanity until antibiotics were discovered. In the early part of the 20th century, simple infections led to death. Fast forward 100 years and now simple viruses are the leading cause of death. Over 7.0 million people worldwide died from COVID-19. Viruses are still a big problem but the good news is that during this pandemic there was a spark of innovation that has led to a budding pipeline of next-gen antivirals capable of neutralizing almost any virus. The public company with this technology has a broad patent pending that covers the treatment of over 60 viruses.
Before antibiotics, doctors last century used good hygiene to prevent infections in a similar way modern medicine has embraced vaccines as a method to prevent infection. Despite our best efforts at prevention, nothing beats a treatment or possibly a cure. With respect to COVID-19, those pointing to Pfizer’s (NYSE: PFE) Paxlovid as a treatment can think again. There's a reason sales of this once thought to be a miracle drug have plummeted. It simply doesn't work that great, and if you are a fan of Ivermectin it is an even weaker 3CL inhibitor than Paxlovid.
The brutal reality is that mankind is no better protected from emerging viruses than it was before the pandemic. There simply aren’t any approved broad-spectrum antivirals to combat the next threat.
The CDC is now classifying COVID-19 as a common “respiratory virus" despite the fact that it is killing people, albeit at a much lower rate than before. They have given up trying to contain it or label it and seem content to let it spread among the populace and deal with the fallout of one in five getting Long-COVID. Masks, good ventilation, and social distancing are the only tools we currently have to contain the virus, but there is a small biotech company that is in clinical trials testing a very powerful broad-spectrum antiviral that not only tackles COVID-19, but also RSV and influenza. There are anecdotal reports that it may also work on shingles and viral conjunctivitis.
If you are reading this and thinking a broad-spectrum antiviral that targets upper respiratory infections is a myth and cannot possibly be true, this means that you fall into the category of one of the billions of people that haven’t read the peer-reviewed journal reports that showed 100% neutralization of the COVID-19 virus in 2 clinical trials. These clinical trial results of 100% efficacy in Phase 2 are once-in-a-decade phenomena. The last time this feat was accomplished was in 2013 when Gilead Sciences (NASDAQ: GILD) posted their clinical trial results for Harvoni - which went on to be a cure for Hepatitis C.
The antiviral that has completed 2 randomized placebo-controlled clinical trials is like no other before it. This oral antiviral is called ProLectin-M, and it is the first glycovirology drug that utilizes a carbohydrate backbone to neutralize viruses. The drug is in the form of a chewable tablet and is easy to take. Almost all antivirals target infected cells and try to interfere with the virus's ability to copy itself, but this molecule strongly attaches to the carbohydrate-sensitive regions of the outside of a virus, thereby neutralizing the virus on contact and rendering it incapable of infecting cells. So instead of battling the virus inside the cell, Prolectin-M acts more like what is known as an entry inhibitor and neutralizes the virus outside the cell. Entry inhibitors have been used in HIV treatment but not for other more common viral infections.
The drug neutralizes COVID-19 using a different binding site that is located on a side pocket of the spike protein instead of the tip (which is commonly known as the receptor binding domain (RBD), the place where the monoclonal antibodies attach to. This mechanism of action means that the new antiviral will not lose its punch when new variants arrive as most variants become prominent by mutating their spike protein tips (RBDs) to avoid neutralization from antibodies Additionally, there was no rebound effect observed in the ProLectin-M clinical trials. The most important takeaway is that there are no safety issues, and that makes sense since the molecule is too big to enter the cell and invisible to the immune system.
Artificial intelligence was used during Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy to definitively determine the location of the binding site and strength of the binding between the molecule and the virus's spike protein. This methodology can be used to create and test this new breed of carbohydrate drugs for any virus. These novel carbohydrate drugs are also known as Galectin blockers which have several uses outside of virology.
The clinical data, the in vitro data, and the AI modeling combined show that Prolectin-M is a very powerful next-gen antiviral capable of broad-spectrum activity. Whether it’s a new more lethal COVID variant or even Disease X, Prolectin-M seems up for the task. The technology behind Bioxytran’s new antivirals is a game changer for the world because they have a methodology to craft customized carbohydrate drugs to treat literally all viruses. Those uncrackable ones like HIV, Ebola, and Zika virus are all covered in their broad patent.
Source: CDC
The CDC has been tracking hospitalizations for upper respiratory infections RSV, flu, and COVID. While the flu has had a few bad years and COVID is becoming more like the flu, it's important to note that when Roche (OTCMKTS: RHHBY) got Tamiflu (their influenza antiviral) approved, they sold hundreds of millions to billions in product annually, and reached $3.2 billion in peak sales during the H1N1 outbreak. With COVID generally worse than the flu, Prolectin-M has even greater potential just considering COVID-19 treatment.
Bioxtyran (OTCMKTS: BIXT) is a public company with a market cap of only $20 million. The tight funding environment for small biotech companies has made it very challenging for them to advance their technology despite the strength of their gyclovirology platform technology. With next-gen antivirals and galectin blockers, the company has a potential pipeline that rivals some of the top 20 big pharma companies. One would think that it's just a matter of time before big pharma swoops in and makes management an offer they just can't say no to. Curing COVID and other viruses is not a myth, but a reality constrained by one small biotech’s ability to access capital. Judgment day for the viruses is coming. Are you ready to join Bioxytran in the fight against viruses?
