C
Chris Smith
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- Synairgen’s SNG001 is a nebulizer containing interferon beta-1a that showed great promise in a recent Phase 2 trial. Volunteers who received the drug had greater odds of recovering from COVID-19 than placebo controls.
- The study did highlight a potential issue with the interferon therapy, as researchers found the drug favors the development of the kind of protein the coronavirus uses to infect cells.
- Upon further research, scientists from the University of Southhampton found that interferon and viral infections with other viruses favor the growth of short ACE2 receptors on the surface of respiratory cells. The coronavirus binds to a different type of ACE2 receptor — long ACE2 — and is unable to interact with the shorter version.
Some of the researchers looking for COVID-19 therapies that can improve the outcome of patients and reduce the risk of complications have developed an interferon-based nebulizer. Several studies have already explained that interferon plays a crucial role in the infection from pathogens, including the novel coronavirus. The SARS-CoV-2 virus can inhibit interferon after infecting the body, hindering the immediate immune response. Other doctors later discovered that apparently healthy patients suffering from undiagnosed interferon issues, including genetic problems, are more likely to develop complications from COVID-19.
A company called Synairgen partnered with the University of Southhampton to develop the SNG001 nebulizer. After a round of promising early testing in summer 2020, Synairgen announced Phase 2 results in mid-November. The researchers found that patients who received SNG001 were more likely to improve than the control group, but there was a major unexplained issue in their findings. The interferon beta-1a in the nebulizer seemed to increase the levels of ACE2 protein on the surface of respiratory cells in the upper airways where the coronavirus infects the first cells. This seemed to be a problematic issue that might actually promote the replication of SARS-CoV-2. However, the University of Southampton published a new study that explains exactly what happens.
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Another crucial coronavirus mystery was just explained originally appeared on BGR.com on Tue, 12 Jan 2021 at 23:15:13 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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