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Minerva Medica 2021 February;112(1):144-52

DOI: 10.23736/S0026-4806.20.07054-8

Copyright © 2020 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

language: English

COVID-19: a user’s guide, status of the art and an original proposal to terminate viral recurrence

Giovanni C. ACTIS 1 , Davide G. RIBALDONE 2, Sharmila FAGOONEE 3, Rinaldo PELLICANO 4

1 Medical Center S.a.s., Turin, Italy; 2 Department of Medical Sciences, University of Turin, Turin, Italy; 3 Institute for Biostructure and Bioimaging, National Research Council, Molecular Biotechnology Center, Turin, Italy; 4 Unit of Gastroenterology, Molinette Hospital, Città della Salute e della Scienza, Turin, Italy



The world is now entering its 9th month of combat against a pandemic of deadly pneumonia. Started out from China in December 2019, the disease has been declared as caused by infection with a so far unknown RNA Coronavirus of the respiratory family, then named severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In the absence of a vaccine, and with scientists still struggling for an effective therapy, COVID-19 (the SARS-dependent syndrome) carries up to now, a death toll of more than 590,000 (July 18,2020) undermining jobs and finance of contemporary society in all continents. Social distancing, the only measure hitherto shown to restrain virus spread, has been progressively loosened from May 2020 in some countries, leaving us in the fear of repeat attacks from the unchecked virus. We discuss the problem and propose to tentatively boost the antivirus cell machinery by using lab-made viral mimics to engage cell receptors.


KEY WORDS: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; COVID-19; Poly I-C; Poly ICLC

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