#4 INDUSTRY ROUNDUP: COVID Commune
2020 is a year I'm never going to forget.
I'm pretty sure you won't either.
COVID-19
COVID-19 caught us all unawares. It's not an outbreak anymore- it's a blown-out war. Your body vs SARS-CoV-2. The large scale of devastation it has caused is something we hadn't seen coming. It pretty much bought all of human life to a standstill. Yet, a remarkable group of doctors, scientists, and labs work round the clock to ensure every minute counts. It's a matter of life and death.
The industry is not too far behind- new companies are being formed to gain insights and find effective solutions to this pandemic.
Today's spotlight will be occupied by: *drumroll please*
-Adagio Therapeutics Inc:
Monoclonal Antibodies. Rings a bell?
The SARS-CoV-2 genome codes for 4 major structural proteins: spike (S), envelope (E), membrane (M), and nucleocapsid (N), as well as nonstructural and accessory proteins. The spike protein is divided into 2 subunits, S1 and S2, that control host cell attachment and invasion.
Monoclonal antibodies are laboratory-made proteins that mimic the immune system’s ability to fight off harmful pathogens such as viruses. Once they enter the body, monoclonal antibodies look for and attach to the spike protein that sticks out of the coronavirus. When monoclonal antibodies attach to the spike protein, they can block the virus's ability to enter cells and slow down the infection.
Adagio tries to tap into this ability to develop solutions. According to them, ADG20, their lead product candidate, is designed to be a potent, broadly neutralizing antibody for both the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, including disease caused by variants, as either a single or combination agent. It employs a unique binding strategy that provides it with broader neutralizing capabilities.
ADG20 is currently being evaluated in two, global Phase 2/3 clinical trials, STAMP and EVADE, for the treatment and prevention of COVID-19, respectively. Cool!
-ExeVir:
Fun fact: An epitope is the part of an antigen that is recognized by the immune system, specifically by antibodies and to which the antibody binds.
ExeVir is a clinical-stage company developing single-domain antibody-based therapies that help patients ward off viral infections.
According to them, XVR011, their lead compound is a potent, broadly neutralizing SARS-COV-2 antiviral treatment. It binds to a highly conserved region on the spikes of SARS-CoV-2, which are essential for the virus to enter the cell. VHH are single-domain antibody fragments derived from camelids which are smaller than human antibodies and can attach to parts of a virus that are difficult to access for the human immune system.
XVR011, in clinical-stage Phase 1b, is in accelerated development as a therapeutic and holds potential as a prophylactic to ringfence outbreaks. Cool!
Visit their sites to know more!
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Disclaimer: Information regarding these companies has been sourced from their websites, no copyright infringement intended. Visit their websites to know more.
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