Seaweed may help stop COVID virus from infecting human cells: Study

Certain seaweed compounds have shown to have antiviral properties.

Jerusalem: A substance extracted from edible marine algae may help stop the spread of coronavirus, according to a study. Researchers from Tel Aviv University (TAU) said ulvan, the major water-soluble polysaccharide extracted from the cell wall of green seaweed, could help stop coronavirus from infecting human cells, Jerusalem Post reported.

"The lack of access to vaccines takes the lives of many victims and even accelerates the creation of new variants," said TAU's Prof. Alexander Golberg.

"The study is still in its early stages, but we hope that the discovery will be used in the future to develop an accessible and effective drug, preventing infection with the coronavirus. Our findings at this stage arouse cautious optimism," he added in the study published in PeerJ -- a peer-reviewed science journal.