Potential application of DARPins, Ensovibep, in treating COVID-19
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Reviewed by Dat Tien Nguyen, B.A, ScM.
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Posted on September 30th, 2022
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Designed ankyrin repeat proteins (DARPins) is a new class of inhibitory drug with an active site that can be engineered to bind to specific motifs of interest. A collaborative project between 2 biopharmaceutical companies, Molecular Partners and Novartis, had utilized the DARPins platform to design agents that can bind to and render SARS-CoV-2 viral particle inert. The study had recently published their findings on the efficacy of the agent called Ensovibep.
The mechanism of action of DARPins molecules such as ensovibep is similar to monoclonal antibodies. However, the small protein can be mass-produced easily and relatively inexpensive using Escherichia coli bacteria. In prior studies, the team had found that ensovibep prevent progression to severe disease in hamster model. Also, in a recent phase 2 clinical trial, ensovibep helps reduce disease severity and lower the risk of hospitalization and death of outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. This phase 3 study randomly assigned 496 hospitalized patients to receive either an intravenous infusion of ensovibep 600 mg, or placebo. The intervention and placebo was administered as a supplementation to the current standard of care being delivered. During a mid-study analysis, the researchers found that ensovibep does not improve pulmonary function of these hospitalized patients. Thus, the data safety monitoring board halted the study due to futility and concluded that the addition of ensovibep to the current standard of care does not improve clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19.
The mechanism of action of DARPins molecules such as ensovibep is similar to monoclonal antibodies. However, the small protein can be mass-produced easily and relatively inexpensive using Escherichia coli bacteria. In prior studies, the team had found that ensovibep prevent progression to severe disease in hamster model. Also, in a recent phase 2 clinical trial, ensovibep helps reduce disease severity and lower the risk of hospitalization and death of outpatients with mild-to-moderate COVID-19. This phase 3 study randomly assigned 496 hospitalized patients to receive either an intravenous infusion of ensovibep 600 mg, or placebo. The intervention and placebo was administered as a supplementation to the current standard of care being delivered. During a mid-study analysis, the researchers found that ensovibep does not improve pulmonary function of these hospitalized patients. Thus, the data safety monitoring board halted the study due to futility and concluded that the addition of ensovibep to the current standard of care does not improve clinical outcomes of patients hospitalized due to COVID-19.