Coronavirus Blood Plasma Treatment Progresses through Clinical Trials
(immunoglobulin) and active (vaccine),” said Sergey Chemezov, Rostec CEO.
COVID Globulin is a medication based on blood plasma of people already cured from coronavirus and thus containing specific antibodies. Administration of COVID Globulin helps the organism to fight the disease and train the immune system to synthesise antibodies independently. It has been approved for use with patients aged between 18 and 60.
Pic Credit: Rostec State Corporation
A medication based on a coronavirus-specific immunoglobulin developed on the basis of blood plasma of cured Moscovites, has recently been registered by the Russian Ministry of Health. Tested by the State Corporation Rostec’s National Immunobiological Company Nacimbo for safety, absence of side effects and the ability to neutralise the novel coronavirus, COVID Globulin is intended for treating medium or strong cases upon completion of Stage 2 and Stage 3 of clinical trials to be conducted in hospitals, including those of Moscow.
“We are glad to present the world’s first ever registered medication based on a COVID-specific immunoglobulin. I need to point out that this medication is specifically intended for COVID treatment rather than prevention. This new solution will greatly expand the doctors’ toolkit to treat COVID-19. In fact, Russia is among the first countries to apply both types of anti-coronavirus immunisation – passive
“We continue to make a portfolio of domestic medication for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19. Following the world’s first Sputnik V vaccine, a number of antiviral agents, medication based on monoclonal antibodies that stop the cytokine storm, we were the first to register an immunoglobulin-based medication that will help critically ill patients in a hospital. The new medication will become an additional tool to protect the health of our citizens during the coronavirus pandemic,” commented Mikhail Murashko, Minister of Health of the Russian Federation.
The drug development has been proactively supported by the Health Department of the Moscow Government which, following intensive testing procedures, transferred 2.5 tonnes of donor plasma to Rostec (Nacimbio) and now provides the venues to conduct Stage 2 and Stage 3 of the clinical trials, which are expected to take about six months. It is intended that the anti-COVID plasma will be supplied to regional centres following the outcome of the clinical trials.
Nacimbio’s total investments into the initiative will amount up to RUB 400 million.
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Isolation Technique Could be Key for COVID Drug Discovery
Researchers at the University of Birmingham working on extraction of the COVID-19 encounter complex in a form stable enough for identification of future drug target sites, have successfully used polymer-based molecular ‘cookie cutters’ to isolate the complex while keeping it embedded in the cell membrane, so preserving the full structure of the molecule in its original context.
The encounter complex is formed when the COVID-19 spike latches onto a binding site on an ACE-2 receptor, which is a complex protein embedded in cell membranes in the lungs and cells that line the nose and airways.
Although it was first isolated last year, the methods used involved full extraction of ACE-2 receptors from cell membranes; this removal of the membrane’s supportive structure affects the stability of the receptor, which makes it difficult to study its structure and function.
The cutting technique, invented by Professor Tim Dafforn from the University’s School of Biosciences, has enabled researchers at the Universities of Birmingham and Oxford to extract what they believe is the first ever COVID-19 encounter complex with an intact membrane. The polymers used for the process are called Styrene Maleic Anhydrides (SMAs) and the resulting structure is known as an SMA
lipid particle (SMALP), as it includes lipids from the cell membranes, enough for identification of potential druggable sites.
This initial project, which was funded by UKRI/BBSRC COVID-19 Rapid Response funding, also includes characterising the complex with a view to publishing its structure. The researchers also received funding from Innovate UK that will enable a wider team to determine which area of the complex will be the most effective for anti-viral drug discovery efforts.
The SMAs used in the study were provided by Netherlands-based company Orbiscope, a business unit of world-leading SMA producer Polyscope Polymers BV.
Dr Bart Verbraeken, Business Unit Manager Orbiscope, said: “Beyond COVID-19, we believe SMAs have huge potential to unblock constrictions in the drug pipeline, by enabling studies of receptors in their native environments that will define drug targets more precisely than ever before.”
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