AUTHOR=Abutbul Avraham , Mumblat Helena , Porat Yaara , Friedman Nehemya , Atari Nofar , Sharabi Shirley , Nama Ahmad , Mugahed Waseem , Kessler Asa , Kolben Yotam , Shamir Reuben Ruby , Manzur Doron , Farber Ori , Bosch Liora , Lavy-Shahaf Gitit , Dor-On Eyal , Haber Adi , Giladi Moshe , Weinberg Uri , Palti Yoram , Mardor Yael , Mandelboim Michal TITLE=Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields) demonstrate antiviral functions in vitro, and safety for application to COVID-19 patients in a pilot clinical study JOURNAL=Frontiers in Microbiology VOLUME=14 YEAR=2023 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/microbiology/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296558 DOI=10.3389/fmicb.2023.1296558 ISSN=1664-302X ABSTRACT=

Coronaviruses are the causative agents of several recent outbreaks, including the COVID-19 pandemic. One therapeutic approach is blocking viral binding to the host receptor. As binding largely depends on electrostatic interactions, we hypothesized possible inhibition of viral infection through application of electric fields, and tested the effectiveness of Tumor Treating Fields (TTFields), a clinically approved cancer treatment based on delivery of electric fields. In preclinical models, TTFields were found to inhibit coronavirus infection and replication, leading to lower viral secretion and higher cell survival, and to formation of progeny virions with lower infectivity, overall demonstrating antiviral activity. In a pilot clinical study (NCT04953234), TTFields therapy was safe for patients with severe COVID-19, also demonstrating preliminary effectiveness data, that correlated with higher device usage.