Perspectives of Manipulative and High-Performance Nanosystems to Manage Consequences of Emerging New Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Variants

Abstract

The emergence of new SARS-CoV-2 variants made the COVID-19 infection pandemic and/or endemic more severe and life-threatening due to ease of transmission, rapid infection, high mortality, and capacity to neutralize the therapeutic ability of developed vaccines. These consequences raise questions on established COVID-19 infection management strategies based on nano-assisted approaches, including rapid diagnostics, therapeutics, and efficient trapping and virus eradication through stimuli-assisted masks and filters composed of nanosystems. Considering these concerns as motivation, this perspective article highlights the role and aspects of nano-enabled approaches to manage the consequences of the COVID-19 infection pandemic associated with newer SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern and significance generated due to mutations. The controlled high-performance of a nanosystem seems capable of effectively detecting new variables for rapid diagnostics, performing site-specific delivery of a therapeutic agent needed for effective treatment, and developing technologies to purify the air and sanitizing premises. The outcomes of this report project manipulative, multifunctional nanosystems for developing high-performance technologies needed to manage consequences of newer SARS-CoV-2 variants efficiently and effectively through an overall targeted, smart approach.

Antibacterial and antiviral high-performance nanosystems to mitigate new SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

“…The TiO 2 -based photocatalytic coatings developed by FN Nano Inc., also have been tested to be an effective antiviral agent due to the ability to damage viral membranes upon light activation ( Fig. 3 A,) [ 42 ]. The coating of such viable functional materials over metal surfaces, air-conditioner vents, hospital floor mats, and equipments can enhance the protection mechanism.…”

Potentialities of graphene and its allied derivatives to combat against SARS-CoV-2 infection

“…For the same, nanotechnology has come forward as a brilliant opportunity to design masks that can efficiently prevent the spread of the SARS-CoV-2. One of the highly utilized nanoparticles that gained much spotlight during the pandemic is graphene [ 82 ].…”

“…It has been accounted for that low conductive mesoporous carbon or silica-based absolutely hybrid with the high surface region, huge pore volume, and inborn stacking capacity can do the strong glucose oxidase (GOD) immobilization for the immediate electrochemistry and biosensing [ 81 , 82 ]. Chemical vapor deposition (CVD), non-template approach, electrochemical reduction method, freeze-drying, sol-gel and template association of GO, 3D printing, and sugar blowing approach [ 112 ] would all be able to be utilized to make these nanofoams utilizing diverse carbon precursors like sap, polymers, pitches, coal, graphite, GO, etc.…”

“…Infection transmission is accepted through respiratory drops because of wheezing and hacking [ 82 , 91 ]. Respiratory droplets exist in various sizes [ 121 ], where mist concentrates explicitly comprise drops that are sub-5 μm in size.…”

Photoelectrochemical oxidation assisted air purifiers; perspective as potential tools to control indoor SARS-CoV-2 Exposure

“…In this direction, efforts were and are being made to understand viral infections via exploring the nature of virus pathogenesis and investigating rapid selective diagnostics along with therapeutics of higher efficacy [5] . Since Jan 2020, the world is facing a very potent viral infection, COVID-19 pandemic, caused by a new type of human Coronavirus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Virus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) [6] . This viral infection exhibits very high infectivity and morbidity due to easy human-to-human transmission and interaction with host-cell receptors [3] .…”