Researchers at Mount Sinai have discovered an inexpensive drug that targets inflammatory genes as an effective therapeutic in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2. Their research is published today in the journal Cell. The widely available drug, Topotecan (TPT), inhibited the expression of inflammatory genes in the lungs of mice as late as four days after infection.
"So far, in pre-clinical models of SARS-CoV-2, there are no therapies--either antiviral, antibody, or plasma--shown to reduce the SARS-CoV-2 disease burden when administered after more than one day post-infection," says senior author Ivan Marazzi, PhD, Associate Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai.
Ivan continued, "This is a huge problem because people who have severe COVID19 and get hospitalized, often do not present symptoms until many days after infection. We took a different approach, and sought to find a potential therapy that can be used during later stages of the disease. We found that the TOP1 inhibitors given days after the infection can still limit the expression of hyper-inflammatory genes in the lungs of infected animals and improve infection outcomes."
Topotecan (TPT), an FDA-approved Topoisomerase I (TOP1) inhibitor, is available in most countries around the world for use as an antibiotic and anti-cancer agent. This wide availability makes this therapeutic class a top consideration for COVID-19.