Scientists Identify Molecule That Can Kill COVID With ‘Hugs’ — but There’s a Catch

Scientists really like SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus COVID-19 (new coronavirus infectious disease)It loves it so much that it “hugs” it, effectively causing it to die.

The discovery of this molecule, the so-called ‘HR2 peptide’, is a big deal. This could form the basis of a new class of antiviral drugs.One that should work as well as Current variant of novel coronavirusHowever future subspecies too.

But there is a problem. Identifying molecules in academic research is one thing.Making medicine is another story base to that molecule. “Academia is ill-equipped to commercialize compounds,” Axel Brunger, a researcher at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute in Maryland and one of the study’s authors, told the Daily Beast. rice field.

HR2 peptides show promise, but are far from providing new therapeutics.Also, resources for new COVID therapeutics are dwindling by the day.

The idea of ​​deploying peptides, chains of amino acids, to bind coronaviruses is not entirely new. Previous studies have probed various peptides for use in COVID treatment, with mixed results.

The genius of the new research, which included researchers from Harvard, Stanford, Helsinki and other institutions, is in peptide design. “This peptide is a slightly longer version,” Brunger explained.

It seemed to do the trick. Adding a few “residues” to the amino acid chain made the peptide 100 times more effective as a virus blocker than a shorter peptide. suggesting that it has the potential to be a potent and cost-effective treatment,” the team wrote in their peer-reviewed study. appear online in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on tuesday.

It works like this: The peptide wraps around the SARS-CoV-2 virus and surrounds the spike protein that the pathogen uses to grab and infect our cells. It interferes with the infectious stage where viruses pass through the membranes of our cells.

Scientists have tested the peptide on all major forms of the novel coronavirus (Delta, Omicron, and various Omicron subspecies) and the results are the same across the board. It potently inhibits all major SARS-CoV-2 variants of the virus,” they wrote.

It is encouraging in itself. After all, as SARS-CoV-2 evolves, some drugs (and even vaccines) are losing their effectiveness. stacking mutations Older treatments and antibodies are beginning to fail to recognize the virus.

This is a particular problem with monoclonal antibodies, one of the oldest types of COVID therapy. There are several monoclonal preparations. But only bebuterobimab. still works BA.5 is the currently dominant Omicron subvariant worldwide.

The next major set of viral mutations may render monoclonals completely non-functional. “Alternative antiviral drugs that target processes less susceptible to mutation are particularly urgently needed,” the peptide discovery team wrote.

Peptides should avoid the trap of reduced efficacy, explained Brunger.Where Many Current Therapies Bind Spike Proteins Previous The virus tries to grab onto our cells, and the peptide binds to the virus in a later step called “membrane fusion,” which occurs just before infection.

“Viruses generally don’t mutate as much in regions targeted by peptides,” said Brunger. “This is a good sign for a broadly applicable antiviral compound.” Drugs designed around the new peptide should work equally well against COVID in its current and future forms.

Unless, of course, the virus takes us by surprise.

The science behind the peptide discovery is sound, Ali Mokhdad, a professor of health indicator science at the University of Washington Institute of Health, told The Daily Beast that he was not involved in the study. It’s very promising and a good sign that the science is advancing rapidly.” The same peptides could have applications in diseases other than COVID, Mokdad added.

Brunger said he believes the best application is an inhaled form of COVID treatment. Scientists and drug developers are increasingly looking to inhalers and vaccines for fast-acting and long-lasting effects that start where COVID originates (throat and lungs).

But the team that discovered the peptide is in no position to turn it into a drug. says.

Don’t hold your breath. “The challenge is that it takes time from discovery to application and sometimes adoption by the public and other scientists,” he explained Mokdad. All that time-consuming work high, that too. Large trials alone can cost hundreds of millions of dollars.

Drugs are developed and approved the fastest when strong government support is behind them. Tens of billions of dollars in funding from the US government and other wealthy governments has accelerated the development of COVID treatments and vaccines, from scientific journals to laboratories to clinics and pharmacies.

But that support has waned as much of the public and many of its leaders have moved away from COVID. The goal is to get out of the deep emergency where the U.S. government buys vaccines, buys cures, buys diagnostic tests,” Ashish said. Jha, the White House COVID Response Coordinator, said: said last month.

Two years ago, new peptide-based drugs might have been a no-brainer. Heavy lift today. If companies show strong interest, the peptide therapy could get him before federal regulators in a year or two. But this promising new molecule could end up in a scientific journal and be of no use to anyone.