UBC researchers help test new COVID drug
Intranasal drug spray known as N-0385 shows promise in battling virus variants
Researchers at the University of B.C. and Université de Sherbrooke in Quebec report finding an antiviral drug that could play a role in treating COVID-19 variants.
They tested the drug called N-0385 on genetically engineered mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, UBC said in a news release.
“Strikingly, single daily intranasal administration of N-0385 early in infection significantly improved weight loss and clinical outcomes,” according to the preprint version of the article. A preprint means the research hasn't yet been vetted by experts in the field before publication in a scientific journal.
N-O385 blocks SARS-CoV-2 from entering human cells through its preferred routes. According to the research, the antiviral drug was effective in impeding variants of concern that include B.1.1.7, known as the U.K. variant, and B.1.351, the South African variant.
“In this study, we report a novel and highly potent small molecule drug called N-0385, that acts as the most effective entry-inhibitor to date,” said Dr. François Jean, a project lead and professor in the department of microbiology at UBC. “We demonstrate that N-0385 is broadly protective against infection and mortality in mice, and believe N-0385 has potential as a viable early treatment option against emerging SARSCoV-2 (variants of concern).”
Jean said in the news release that N-0385 blocks an enzyme responsible for “cutting and priming the viral protein so that it can attach and fuse with the host cell membrane, and release the virus's genetic material.”
Development and testing of N-0385 is funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research COVID-19 research grants.
“We envision a practical use of N-0385 for unvaccinated individuals or those with high risk of exposure or severe disease outcome related to SARS-CoV-2 (variants of concern) and future emerging pathogens,” the preprint says.
The UBC news release said researchers are testing other drugs that are similar to N-0385 against SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, and variants.
“We hope that this and related drugs may have broader applications in combating other respiratory viruses that use the same means of entry into host cells, including established coronaviruses, influenza and other viruses,” Jean said in the news release. He wasn't available for comment Tuesday.
In the study, researchers used K18-hACE2 mice that are transgenic mice with human ACE2, the receptor used by the severe acute respiratory syndrome to gain cellular entry. The mice are used to study antiviral therapies to SARS-CoV-2.