Innovation Pharmaceuticals Announces Publication of Peer-Review Article in the Journal of Medical Virology on Anti-Coronavirus Properties of Brilacidin
In other news, Scientific Advisor, William F. DeGrado, PhD, gives keynote lecture at 2021 Faraday Discussion and co-awarded John Scott Medal
WAKEFIELD, MA / March 15, 2022 / ACCESSWIRE Innovation Pharmaceuticals (OTCQB:IPIX) (“the Company”), a clinical stage biopharmaceutical company, today announced publication of a peer-review scientific article in the Journal of Medical Virology on the anti-coronavirus properties of Brilacidin. Brilacidin was shown to exert a dual-acting antiviral mechanism of action, able to target coronaviruses directly and bind to host cell surfaces to prevent viral entry.
As previously released, Brilacidin showed promising treatment effects in a Phase 2 clinical trial in moderate-to-severe hospitalized cases of COVID-19 (see NCT04784897). The Company plans to seek funding and additional clinical development support from government-sponsored programs to help advance the Brilacidin antiviral program.
Coronavirus Research Highlights
In the peer-review paper, which was co-authored by Dr. DeGrado and is accessible at the link below, University of Arizona and University of California-San Francisco scientists characterized the antiviral activity of Brilacidin against multiple endemic human coronaviruses (HCoVs), including HCoV-OC43, HCoV-229E, HCoV-NL63, and SARS-CoV-2, in human cell lines.
Hu, Y., Hyunil, J., DeGrado, W.F., & Wang, J. (2022). Brilacidin, a COVID-19 Drug Candidate, Demonstrates Broad-Spectrum Antiviral Activity Against Human Coronaviruses OC43, 229E and NL63 Through Targeting Both the Virus and the Host Cell. J Med Virol. doi:10.1002/jmv.27616.
Mechanistic studies revealed Brilacidin exerts antiviral activity by interfering with viral attachment to host cells by binding to heparan sulfate proteoglycans (HSPGs). HSPGs are important co-receptors through which different viruses gain entry into host cells, thus providing an attractive target for the development of broad-spectrum antivirals. Beyond exhibiting this blocking property, Brilacidin was also shown to target viral proteins directly, acting through a virucidal property. This dual antiviral mechanism of action suggests Brilacidin may be well-suited for prophylactic development and less likely to be subject to drug resistance. Combination studies further revealed Brilacidin exhibited a strong synergistic antiviral effect with remdesivir (Veklury™) against HCoV-OC43 in cell culture. Collectively, these data support Brilacidin’s translational potential to be developed as a broad-spectrum anti-coronavirus agent.
DeGrado Scientific Accolades
The Company also is pleased to announce co-discoverer of Brilacidin and Scientific Advisor for Drug Discovery and Clinical Development, William F. DeGrado, PhD, gave the keynote Spiers Memorial lecture at the 2021 Faraday Discussion and received the 2020 John Scott Medal.
Dr. DeGrado, Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry at UCSF, and Michael Klein, PhD, Dean of the College of Science and Technology at Temple University, were co-awarded the 2020 John Scott Medal based on their overall contributions to science, including their seminal scientific work to discover Brilacidin. The 2020 award ceremony was delayed one year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Both DeGrado and Klein are members of the National Academy of Sciences.
The Scott Awards, created in 1816 and named for the 19th-century chemist, John Scott, who endowed it in honor of Ben Franklin, are given annually to scientists whose inventions have improved the “comfort, welfare and happiness” of humankind. The first Scott Awards were bestowed in 1834. Notable past Scott Award recipients include: Thomas Edison, Nikola Tesla, Marie Curie, Alexander Fleming, Jonas Salk, among many others. The 2021 Scott Award went to two scientists, Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, whose research contributed to the development of RNA-based COVID-19 vaccines.
“It has been a real pleasure across my life to work with numerous academic and professional peers who are at the forefront of identifying new scientific approaches to develop promising medical treatments,” said William F. DeGrado, PhD, Scientific Advisor for Innovation Pharmaceuticals. “Brilacidin is one such molecule that I believe possesses considerable therapeutic potential. I look forward to continuing my collaboration with the Innovation team, including evaluating opportunities to license novel compounds with applications in multiple areas.”
Dr. DeGrado’s 2021 Farraday Discussion talk, published by the Royal Society of Chemistry, focused on insights into Peptide-Membrane Interactions. Excerpts from the lecture—highlighting DeGrado’s and peers’ discovery of Brilacidin—are available on the Company’s website at the link below.
https://www.ipharminc.com/new-blog/2022/3/15/...cott-medal
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