/ Kateryna_Kon, stock.adobe.com
–
Vancouver – A soluble version of the ACE2 receptors through which SARS-CoV-2 enters cells is a possible approach for the treatment of COVID-19. Laboratory experiments in Cell (2020; doi: 10.1016 / j.cell.2020.04.004) show that human recombinant soluble angiotensin converting enzyme 2 (hrsACE2) can significantly reduce virus production in cell cultures and organoids. A manufacturer is now planning a phase 2 study.
Soon after the discovery of the new corona virus, it emerged that the causative agent of COVID-19 uses the same entry gate as the first SARS-CoV to get into the cells (which is why it is also called SARS-CoV-2). It is the protein ACE2 (angiotensin converting enzyme 2).
The Austrian researcher Josef Penninger from the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna has examined the function of ACE2 in the body in more detail in recent years. It turned out that ACE2 is not only formed by the pneumocytes in the lungs. The docking points for the virus are also in the blood vessels, in the intestine and in the kidneys, which could explain the severe course of the disease in SARS.
The researchers subsequently explored the therapeutic possibilities of a soluble version of hrsACE2. Since SARS is now history, the effects were examined in 89 patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension and in patients with acute lung damage or acute respiratory distress syndrome ARDS.
HrsACE2 should inhibit the strong inflammatory response that is involved in the destruction of the lung tissue. A preparation from Apeiron Biologics from Vienna was used. According to the company’s latest press release, APN01 has proven to be safe and well tolerated.
on the subject
Deutsches Ärzteblatt print
aerzteblatt.de
–
–
With the appearance of SARS-CoV-2 there is the possibility to investigate the effect of hrsACE2 on the virus replication of the new corona virus. A team of researchers led by Penninger, who now works at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, initially carried out experiments on cell cultures. The addition of hrsACE2 prevented SARS-CoV-2 from entering and destroying the cells.
In the next step, organoids were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and treated with hrsACE2. Organoids are three-dimensional cell cultures that mimic the structure and function of organs. The researchers can show that SARS-CoV-2 also infects blood vessels and kidney tubules, and that this infection can be prevented by hrsACE2.
A clinical trial is planned next. Up to 200 patients with COVID-19 are to be treated in a randomized phase 2 study at 10 locations in Austria, Denmark and Germany. The aim of the study is again to investigate the safety and tolerability of APN01 in seriously ill COVID-19 patients. However, there could also be first indications of effectiveness. © rme / aerzteblatt.de
– .
