German study finds potential drug to fight SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19
A team of scientists led by infection biologists from the German Primate Centre in Goettingen have isolated a commercially-available protease inhibitor that could protect against COVID-19. The protease inhibitor could also be a potential target for therapeutic intervention. COVID-19 is a respiratory disease caused by a new type of coronavirus that was transmitted from animals to humans, SARS-CoV-2.
The virus has been spreading since December 2019 and is particularly deadly for the elderly or immunocompromised people. No vaccines are available as yet to treat the virus, although its current worldwide spread has already affected at least 112,000 people and racked up over 4,290 deaths.
The scientists’ discovery follows an initial investigation into how the new virus enters host cells – SARS-CoV-2 requires the protease TMPRSS2, which is present in the human body, to enter lung cells, according to Stefan Pöhlmann, Head of the centre’s Infection Biology Unit.
The scientists later found that a protease TMPRSS2 inhibitor, camostat mesilate, could block entry of the virus into lung cells. Camostat mesilate has been approved in Japan for use in pancreatic inflammation.
Lead author Markus Hoffmann, comments that the protease inhibitor might be “key” to combat COVID-19 and should justly be investigated in clinical trials.
Category: Features, Pharmaceuticals
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