Now that it's official that Biotron is applying its expertise to...

Now that it's official that Biotron is applying its expertise to nCoV, which naturally has attracted many new investors (and even more traders), then I'll repost some research etc:

Biotron began working on SARS not long after the outbreak in 2002, but as that virus was quite short lived due it being far less contagious than this new strain, the need to continue work on it evaporated. SARS is also very unlikely to return because once eradicated, the original viral strain is lost, apart from in petri dishes.

MERS, a cousin of SARS appeared in 2013, although Biotron did not pursue it as they were committed to HIV research. MERS is still active, but like SARS is significantly easier to contain.

There have not been any vaccines developed for either, although work is proceeding on one for MERS.

Here is the link to Biotron's original paper on SARS, and one sentence to begin to show the relevance of that work for today's new problem.

Hexamethylene amiloride (HMA) – an inhibitor of the HIV-1 Vpu virus ion channel – inhibited the HCoV-229E (human coronavirus) and MHV E protein ion channel conductance in bilayers and also inhibited replication of the parent coronaviruses in cultured cells.' Highlighted mine.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S004268220600359X?via%3Dihub

For those not reading Biotron's science, here is a repost in a nutshell of their present work.

BIT225 is Biotron's main candidate for treating HIV. It is an antiviral drug targeting viral-encoded viroporin proteins within the E protein of the HIV virus. Specifically, the Ion Channel of the E Protein is interrupted so that virus cell replication is halted. As such, a positive immune response is shown, which potentially leads to the eradication of the virus where other typical HIV antivirals have not been able to eradicate.

This is a new mode of action that has also been shown to work on other viruses that Biotron has achieved using similar antivirals, which hopefully in time will prove as efficacious. The components of these antivirals are listed in their recent patent, as well as earlier papers.

Where to from here in the present epidemic and its relevance to Biotron?

Biotron is in a position as good as any, and a lot better than many, to develop an antiviral against nCoV. I am very confident that we'll be hearing from them long before we do from any vaccine development. This is because they are not commencing from scratch, quite the contrary.

Since Biotron's initial coronavirus work, they have completed many other tests using their compounds on many different types of viruses, including several varieties of coronavirus, with positive results. If you aren't aware of this you can take my word on it, or read their latest US Patent Application of December 26th 2020. Link here:

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/20190389816.pdf

How quickly will they be ready to test their antiviral on patients of nCoV?

I hazard a guess, within 30 days of commencement (Feb 5th?), if not sooner. How is such a short time frame possible?

Firstly, time is of the essence, and most of the necessary ground work has already been completed. All that is required now is that the cloned nCoV is tested against in vitro, which is presently occurring. This in fact can be achieved within days. First results will come very quickly.

The next steps are what will occur quite differently to normal procedure. In this case, I expect that if positive in vitro results are achieved, then samples of the antiviral will be sent to China immediately, while Biotron continues on further studies in Australia. These studies will go on for months in Australia.

Those familiar with trading bio-stocks and more familiar with years of waiting between test results, may be incredulous to my proposed time frames, but in this case these things need to be considered within the context of almost entire China's productivity now coming to a near stop. The streets of Beijing are deserted and activities requiring large groups are stopping: factories etc.

In such circumstances, antivirals that have been part of controlled studies are already part of a US patent application, will not be held up unnecessarily if new tests show efficacy against the new virus.

Whether or not Biotron is beaten at the post by other antivirals such as Remdesivir, is not really part of the present equation under consideration, but naturally will come into play longer term.

Then there is Biotron's HIV program that makes the above look insignificant.