Overview

Although several highly effective vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed, the disease remains a threat to public health. We have invented a method of preventing or treating COVID-19 through administration of an integrin inhibitor such as GLPG-0187.

Market Opportunity

Although several highly effective vaccines against COVID-19 have been developed, the disease remains a threat to public health because of breakthrough cases, the current improbability of achieving herd immunity, reluctance to vaccinate among significant segments of the population, lack of available vaccines in much of the developing world, and the emergence of highly transmissible and immune-evasive Delta and Omicron variants. Therefore, there is an urgent need for new treatment strategies to prevent severe disease, hospitalization, and death, especially in vulnerable populations, including the elderly and immunocompromised, those with pre-existing conditions such as cancer, and those unable to get vaccinated.

Innovation and Meaningful Advantages

We have invented a method of preventing or treating COVID-19 through administration of an integrin inhibitor such as GLPG-0187. (Integrins are proteins that facilitate cell-cell and cell-extracellular matrix adhesion.) In addition to inhibiting viral infection, integrin inhibition may mediate some of the complications of severe COVID-19 in patients by reducing levels of active transforming growth factor beta (TGF-β). Limited studies have found that COVID-19 patients may have higher levels of TGF-β compared with healthy controls, and integrins are a major regulator of TGF-β activation. Our in vitro studies showed GLPG-0187 to be particularly effective at inhibiting pseudovirus infection of human small airway epithelial (HSAE) cells by the Omicron and Delta variants. Furthermore, pre-treatment of HSAE cells with MEK inhibitor (MEKi) VS-6766 enhanced the inhibition of pseudovirus infection by GLPG-0187.

Collaboration Opportunity

We are interested in exploring 1) research collaborations with leading pharmaceutical companies to develop this method of treatment; and 2) licensing opportunities with pharmaceutical companies.

Principal Investigator

IP Information

US Application 18/134,636, Filed April 14, 2023

Publications

Huntington KE, Carisen L, So E-Y, Piiesche M, Liang O, and El-Deiry WS. Integrin/TGF-β1 Inhibitor GLPG-0187 Blocks SARS-CoV-2 Delta and Omicron Pseudovirus Infection of Airway Epithelial Cells In Vitro, Which Could Attenuate Disease Severity. Pharmacueticals (Basel) 2022 May;15(5):618. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9143518/.

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