UIC Awarded $6M to Test COVID-19 Drug Candidate For Lung Damage

The Department of Defense (DoD) recently awarded a $6 million technology and therapeutic development award to the University of Illinois (UIC) to test a COVID-19 drug candidate. 

UIC will use the funding to test its potential COVID-19 treatment, VT-109, in animal models of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), a complication from the SARS-CoV-2 virus. 

In ARDS, fluid from the bloodstream leaks into the lungs, making it difficult to breath and reducing oxygen levels. ARDS can also cause the immune system to overreact in a cytokine storm, which can further damage lung tissue through out-of-control inflammation.

ARDS has a mortality rate of about 50 percent and there are currently no treatments options.

But in previous studies, VT-109 helped restore function to damaged lungs and reduce cytokine levels in COVID-19 patients with the condition. 

The funding will also help to investigate the best processes for development, optimization, manufacturing, and scale-up of VT-109 for future first-in-humans clinical studies. 

“Our drug candidate, VT-109, can prevent lung damage by tightening the barrier between the bloodstream and the lungs, preventing leakage of fluid into the lungs,” Yulia Komarova, associate professor in the department of pharmacology and regenerative medicine at UIC and  principal investigator of the study, said in the announcement. 

Komarova identified VT-109 after screening multiple small molecule drugs to tighten endothelial barrier that separates circulating blood from lung tissue. VT-109 interacts with microtubules and binds them to help restore the endothelial barrier, a UIC spokesperson explained.

Researchers stated that the candidate may treat pulmonary edema, restore respiratory function in COVID-19 patients, improve oxygenation of the organs, reduce lung and systemic inflammation, and reduce all-cause and hospital mortality due to respiratory complications.

“To date, we have already optimized the therapeutic candidate, developed a clinically relevant formulation suitable for COVID-19 patients with respiratory illness, and collected preliminary safety and ARDS efficacy data in mice and rats,” Komarova stated. 

FDA’s Investigational New Drug (IND) program oversees the process by which all potential drugs and biological products are evaluated for administration to humans in clinical trial. 

Komarova stated that pre-clinical efficacy, toxicology, and pharmacology studies of VT-109 may be sufficient to satisfy FDA IND requirements. But she estimated that it could be three or more years before this happens.  

NIH, UIC, and the Harrington Discovery Institute helped support VT-109 research with funding and awards. The organizations also selected the drug candidate for further investment and commercialization support.