ACE2, a protein on the surface of the cell membrane, is the key receptor for the spike glycoprotein of SARS-CoV-2. In earlier work, Professor Penninger and colleagues identified ACE2 and found that in living organisms, ACE2 is the key receptor for SARS, the viral respiratory illness recognized as a global threat in 2003. While the COVID-19 outbreak continues to spread around the globe, the absence of a clinically proven antiviral therapy or a treatment specifically targeting the critical SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 on a molecular level has meant an empty arsenal for health care providers struggling to treat severe cases of COVID-19. "Our new study provides very much needed direct evidence that APN01 soon to be tested in clinical trials by the European biotech company Apeiron Biologics, is useful as an antiviral therapy for COVID-19," said Professor Arthur Slutsky, from the Keenan Research Centre for Biomedical Science of St. Michael's Hospital and the University of Toronto. In cell cultures analyzed in the current study, APN01 inhibited the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus load by a factor of 1,000-5,000. ..... < snip > ..... researchers demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 can directly infect and duplicate itself in these tissues. ..... severe cases of COVID-19 present with multi-organ failure and evidence of cardiovascular damage. Clinical grade APN01 also reduced the SARS-CoV-2 infection in these engineered human tissues. ..... < snip > "Now we know that a soluble form of ACE2 that catches the virus away, could be indeed a very rational therapy that specifically targets the gate the virus must take to infect us." ..... < snip > A trial drug called APN01 or human recombinant soluble ACE2 (hrsACE2) can significantly block early stages of SARS-CoV-2 infections, according to a paper published in the journal Cell.
In cell cultures analyzed in the study, APN01 inhibited the coronavirus load by a factor of 1,000-5,000. Image credit: Tibor Kulcsar / IMBA
Apeiron Biologics' APN01 is one of the recombinant form of the human angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 - rhACE2. Since ACE2 is a gateway for CoV, seems like potentially effective forms of treatment and/or preventative for any form of coronavirus, including future mutations, made in lab or in the wild. Have to watch for potential side-effects, of course - clinical trials are ongoing now.