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"We found that at non-toxic concentrations, oleandrin was efficacious at slowing and halting viral growth in tissue culture assays" for the Ebola and Marburg viruses, Dye said in emailed answers to questions.
Because those viruses are enveloped, just like COVID-19, the lab is pressing ahead to do similar tests on the theory that the extract may have similar effects on the coronavirus at the center of today's pandemic, he said.

"We are finalizing arrangements to test oleandrin in our tissue culture assays for COVID-19 virus," he said.
Oleandrin has been a rising star in the biomedical world the last few years, with some clinical trials now showing it has helped several types of cancer patients improve. Because it is natural and appears to work in low, non-toxic doses and has a track record in the cancer world, it could have appeal should Dye's lab find it works on the coronavirus.

In fact, Dye said, it was oleandrin's success in cancer research that first put it on his team's radar.
"A scientist moved from MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston to my group, and he provided the introduction for the oleandrin team," he explained. "We were encouraged by the data that had been generated against other infectious viruses and decided to pursue testing with the filoviruses, Ebola and Marburg."

Fort Detrick's research was presented at a 2017 medical conference that did not generate much media attention but provided a strong endorsement that oleandrin appeared to have strong potential for fighting enveloped viruses, which use disguises to infect the body without detection. Dye and a fellow researcher from Fort Detrick joined the findings along with scientists for Phoenix Biotechnology, the San Antonio, Texas-based company that has developed the extract.

Oleandrin "fully inhibited" the Marburg and Ebola viruses in petri dishes, suggesting the natural compound has "broad spectrum efficacy" and may also have "antiviral efficacy against other enveloped viruses," the researchers' presentation declared in 2017.

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