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Drugs for COVID-19 in perspective?
Recent research identified a drug that blocks a key receptor with which SARS-CoV-2 infects its hosts. The study results could lead to a treatment that can prevent early infection of the new coronavirus.
Research by the University of British Columbia found that an experimental drug blocks a key receptor, which appears to stop infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. The results of the study were published in the English magazine “Cell”.
Better understanding of key issues.
The results of the research work could lead to promising treatment for the new coronavirus. The study provides new insights into key aspects of SARS-CoV-2 and its interactions at the cellular level. The results also show how the virus can infect the blood vessels and kidneys.
Effective drugs in the near future?
“We hope that our results will impact the development of a new drug to treat this unprecedented pandemic,” said study author Professor Dr. Josef Penninger of the University of British Columbia in a press release.
What is ACE2?
ACE2 is a protein on the surface of the cell membrane. ACE2 plays an extremely important role in corona infections because it serves as a key receptor for the SARS-CoV-2 spike glycoprotein. Previous research has found that ACE2 is the key receptor for SARS viral respiratory disease in living organisms. In laboratory tests, the protein has also been linked to cardiovascular disease and lung failure.
Does the drug APN01 really protect against COVID-19?
The new study provides the necessary evidence that a drug called APN01 (human recombinant soluble angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 – hrsACE2) is useful as antiviral therapy for COVID-19, the researchers explain. In the cell cultures analyzed in the study, hrsACE2 inhibited exposure to the coronavirus by a factor of 1,000 to 5,000. Artificially produced replicas of human blood vessels and kidneys (organoids) grown from human stem cells showed that the virus can directly infect and reproduce in these tissues.
Study promotes important ideas
This provides important information on the development of the disease and the fact that severe cases of COVID-19 are associated with multiple organ failure and signs of cardiovascular damage. hrsACE2 reduced SARS-CoV-2 infection in these artificial tissues.
Why research on organoids?
“The use of organoids allows us to test treatments that are already used for other diseases or that are about to be validated in a very flexible way. In these moments when time is short, human organoids save the time that we would spend trying a new medicine in humans ”, says the author of the study, Professor Núria Montserrat of the Institute of Bioengineering of Catalonia in Spain.
Will we be able to prevent infection soon?
The virus that causes COVID-19 is a close relative of the first SARS virus. Previous research has helped quickly identify ACE2 as the entry point for SARS-CoV-2, which explains a lot about the disease. It is now known that a soluble form of ACE2 could be a very rational therapy against the virus, as it specifically targets the door that the virus needs to be infected. (how)
Sources:
- Vanessa Monteil, Hyesoo Kwon, Patricia Prado, Astrid Hagelkrüys, Reiner A. Wimmer et al .: Inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infections in human tissues designed using clinically grade soluble human ACE2, in Cell (published April 2020) , Cell
- Test drug can significantly block early stages of COVID-19 in designed human tissues, University of British Columbia (published April 2, 2020), UBC
Important note:
This article contains general information only and should not be used for self-diagnosis or treatment. It cannot replace a visit to the doctor.
