Innovative Therapies for Preventing and Treating Viral Infections and Lung Disease

COVID-19 caused by SARS-CoV-2 is highly transmissible from human to human, the most recent variants being more contagious than the original strain. This virus infects alveolar lung cells, nasal cells, the eye surface, gastrointestinal tract, and central nervous system. SARS-CoV-2 triggers a wide range of disease phenotypes, including severe acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). In many cases dysregulated immune/inflammatory lung responses in COVID-19 contribute to morbidity and mortality.

COVID-19 patients often develop a cytokine storm characterized by increased pro-inflammatory cytokines and monocytes/macrophages that infiltrate the alveoli. Alveolar inflammation and damage lead to COVID-19 morbidity and mortality. CurVir's Elovanoids, VLC-PUFAs and resolvin D6 isomer attenuate viral cell entry and downregulate inflammation and cytokine storm, protects the organ from damage and consequently promote disease resolution.

One of the company's therapeutic avenues is based on the demonstrated cyto-protective properties of the new compounds that include upregulating abundance of pro-survival proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and pro-homeostatic proteins sirtuin1, Iduna, and prohibitin-type 2, while downregulating apoptosis-promoting proteins Bax, Bim, and Bid. In addition, they enhance the lung immunological response that mediates protective immunity to SARS-CoV-2.

Studies in primary human lung cells, human corneal cells, and a rat model of corneal inflammation have shown that VLC-PUFAs:

• Lead to synthesis of elovanoids in lung cells
• Downregulate ACE2 expression, the SARS-CoV-2 receptor, preventing binding of the viral spike protein
• Downregulate the expression of host proteases used during viral cell entry
• Suppress hyper-inflammation, cytokine storm, and senescence gene programming

CurVir's novel lipid mediators will be formulated for delivery via orally inhalable nebulizer, eye drops, nasal sprays, and other forms.