Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. And The University of Illinois at Chicago Announce Partnership To Identify Novel Antivirals Against COVID-19

About this update from Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.

[{"type":"text","content":"WASHINGTON, April 8, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc. (\"Vanda\") (Nasdaq: VNDA) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) today announced a research partnership focused on the investigation of small molecules with the potential to treat COVID-19. The collaboration will include the use of a high-throughput screening assay to identify small molecules that may prevent cathepsin-L cleavage of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) glycoproteins that are required for viral processing in the host cell.\n\"We look forward to the opportunity to collaborate with the University of Illinois College of Medicine to enhance our efforts to bring new treatments to patients,\" said Mihael H. Polymeropoulos, M.D., President and Chief Executive Officer of Vanda. \"Our collaboration further propels Vanda's recently launched COVID-19 therapeutics program that includes multiple molecular approaches in therapeutics development. In addition to the cornerstone work that we will conduct with the University regarding cathepsin-L enzyme inhibition, we are also exploring drugs that may block SARS-CoV-2 virus entry at the angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptor, and the transmembrane protease serine 2 precursor. Included within the therapeutics program is the initiation of ODYSSEY, a study of tradipitant in hospitalized patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, which was announced on April 2, 2020 and will start in New York shortly.\" \nSARS-CoV-2 and other viruses depend on cathepsin L for processing in target cells. The viral glycoproteins need to be primed by protease cleavage, activating them for fusion with the host cell membrane. Previous research has demonstrated the potential of small molecules to inhibit the cathepsin L cleavage of viral peptides with minimal inhibition of physiological substrate cleavage.1 By joining forces with the UIC, Vanda is expanding its research capabilities by gaining access to additional expertise and state-of-the-art facilities to build on these findings.\n\"We can readily deploy the high-throughput screening we had developed to successfully screen for small molecules that specifically inhibited cathepsin-L mediated cleavage of SARS, Ebola, Hendra and Nipah derived proteins, and entry of pseudotyped virus into cells,\" said UIC's Dr. Bellur S. Prabhakar, the Principal Investigator. \"Given the similarity between SARS...

More updates from Vanda Pharmaceuticals Inc.