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Richard van Breemen, a researcher in ÐÔ¸£±¦ Global Hemp Innovation Center, College of Pharmacy and Linus Pauling Institute has identified two that may prevent the coronavirus that causes COVID-19 from infecting human cells.

Using a mass spectrometry-based screening technique that was invented at ÐÔ¸£±¦, van Breemen, OSU colleague Ruth Muchiri and five collaborators from Oregon Health & Science University found that a pair of cannabinoids — cannabigerolic acid (CBGA) and cannabidiolic acid (CBDA) — bind to the coronavirus spike protein, blocking a critical step in the infection process.

Hemp is a rich source of unique natural products that have therapeutic value. Unlike other cannabinoids that have psychoactive properties, the CBGA and CBDA compounds are not controlled substances and have a good safety profile in humans, van Breemen says, and they also have potential to prevent as well as treat COVID-19 infections.

van Breemen expects will happen within a few months. He says preclinical trials, required by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before any clinical testing in humans can begin, involve using cell cultures and/or animal models to test the safety and efficacy of a new drug candidate.

COVID-19 hasn’t been beaten yet. But the discoveries made at ÐÔ¸£±¦ could be an effective tool in the fight.