Protein decoys for viruses may battle COVID-19 and more
As the fight against COVID-19 wears on and the virus continues to mutate, vaccines and several monoclonal antibody drugs are losing some of their punch. That’s added urgency to a strategy for preventing and treating the disease that, in theory, could stop all variants of SARS-CoV-2. The idea is to flood the body with proteins that mimic the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor, the cell-surface protein that SARS-CoV-2 uses to gain entry into cells. These decoys would bind to the virus’ spike protein, disarming it. The molecules might both protect people from getting infected and help COVID-19 patients clear the virus from the body.
One ACE2 decoy recently completed initial safety trials in humans, and trials of other decoy designs are expected to launch soon. A new preprint also shows that giving mice a gene coding for a decoy can provide long-term protection, a strategy that might help millions of immune-compromised patients who are unable to mount a robust immune response to vaccines. Success against COVID-19 might also boost efforts to develop decoys against other infectious diseases ranging from influenza to Ebola.
“These [compounds] could be a game changer,” says Erik Procko, a biochemist at Cyrus Biotechnology, a Seattle-based biotech company working to commercialize decoys to fight COVID-19 and human cytomegalovirus.
Research teams have for many years explored the idea of decoy receptors for HIV and a few others viruses but made lit...
Source: Science of Aging Knowledge Environment - Category: Geriatrics Source Type: research
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