5 Biotech Companies and Partnerships Leading the Way towards a COVID-19 Solution.
Headline after headline after headline. It almost feels like a fever dream. We’re all cooped up in our homes hoping to finally see the headline “Worldwide Cure for Coronavirus Found”, so we can head back to our daily lives of lunch with coworkers and classmates, leaving our homes without worry, or just simply going to a busy mall. For some, the time at home has served as an opportunity to reconnect with family, while others cave under the anxieties and pressures of financial uncertainty. Yes, for some the time at home has been nice. And yes, a lot of us get to spend much-needed quality time with our families, but we can all agree that we so badly want this to come to an end.
Well, if it’s of any consolation, multiple biotech companies are working at the forefront of the pandemic to help find a vaccine or cure so you can get back to daily living. Here are 5 biotech companies (in no particular order) leading the way towards a solution for COVID-19.
1. Inovio Pharmaceuticals Inc.
The Pennsylvania based company has begun initiating phase 1 Clinical Trials of their DNA based COVID-19 Vaccine. The treatment consists of DNA medicines that optimize plasmids into cells while intramuscularly using a device called CELLECTRA to create small openings in cell pores and deliver DNA directly where it will evoke an immune response. Their potential COVID-19 treatment would incorporate this technique to attack the genetic sequence of COVID-19. Promising pre-clinical animal studies have shown good immune responses, proving adequacy for human trials.
Inovio has recently commenced its phase 1 trial of a developed DNA vaccine, INO-4800. They will evaluate INO-4800 in around 40 healthy adult trial patients at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine.
INOVIO’s CEO and president, said, “This is a significant step forward in the global fight against COVID-19. Without a safe and effective vaccine, the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to continue to threaten lives and livelihoods…Our dedicated team of staff, partner, and funders have been mobilized since the genetic sequence of the virus became available in early January and continues to work around the clock to ensure that we are rapidly advancing NIO-4800 through this phase 1 study towards planned efficacy trials.”
2. Takeda
The Japanese Pharmaceutical company is utilizing plasma technology to develop a vaccine that will treat COVID-19 by attacking SARs-CoV-2 (which directly causes COVID-19). The potential vaccine, called TAK-888, is claimed to be able to use Hyperimmune globulins, a form of plasma-derived therapy that has been proven to treat SARS (severe acute viral respiratory infections), in order to treat the virus.
The H-IF plasma works uniquely in that it would ideally concentrate pathogen-specific antibodies from recovered COVID-19 patients and transfer them to a patient who is fighting the virus. By giving pathogen plasma of recovered patients to other patients, their immune system is able to much better respond to being attacked by the virus.
President of Takeda’s Vaccine business unit, Dr.Rajeev Venkayya, said, “ We have identified relevant assets and capabilities across the company and are hopeful that we can expand the treatment options for patients with COVID-19 and the providers caring for them.”
3. Amgen and Adaptive Biotechnologies
Adaptive Biotechnologies and Amgen are now working together to develop a drug candidate that could not only treat, but prevent Coronavirus. Like Pfizer, the two companies are searching for a human testable antibody that will attack SARS-CoV- 2. They aim to neutralize antibodies in order to protect healthy cells by inhibiting the bio-functions of COVID-19.
Such antibodies would ideally treat Coronavirus patients with mild to higher risk symptoms, and be given to those at high risk, such as doctors and nurses.
Robert A Bradway, CEO of Amgen, said, “Our strong history of collaboration with Adaptive gives us the ability to immediately mobilize our combined resources to help address the urgency in controlling the COVID-19 Pandemic…working with Adaptive and using their viral-neutralizing antibody platform will expedite our ability to bring a promising new medicine into clinical trials as quickly as possible.”
4. Moderna Inc.
This Cambridge, Massachusetts-based biotechnology company is working on a vaccine that could potentially fight off or entirely prevent COVID-19 from exuding its dramatic effects, using mRNA techniques.
Their new potential vaccine, mRNA-1273, was developed from isolating the virus from an infected Chinese patient and uploading its genetic information to a database where Moderna scientists were able to identify a key sequence of the spike protein. This protein seems to be a promising vaccine candidate as its instructions for genetic sequencing would be encoded into mRNA (an instruction molecule), then injected into patients. The mRNA instructs cells to replicate this protein in order to learn about the protein and protect the patient if they were to come into contact with the virus.
Moderna will soon enter phase 2 of human trials, garnering a lot of attention around the mRNA method and other biotech companies using similar methods.
5. Pfizer and BioNTech
Pfizer is working alongside German Biotech company BioNTech to create a potential vaccine.
The New York and Mainz, Germany based pharmaceutical companies have recently announced that they have discovered an experimental drug that counters SARS-Cov-2. As shown by an early R&D, scientists are confident that the recently developed mRNA based experimental drug can block COVID-29 from self-replicating. Meaning that if the drug were to work and be approved, it would dramatically slow down the proliferation of the virus in carriers with “mild to moderate symptoms”. They expect to start human trials this summer around August. With some other Vaccine candidates that are ready for testing, they will start clinical trials this month.
Mikael Dolsten, Chief Scientific Officer of Pfizer, said, “This pursuit requires a crucial multi-pronged approach with deep collaboration and partnership across the health innovation ecosystem-from the academic community, industry partners, policymakers, and regulatory bodies. We announced in March that we are collaborating with BioNTech to co-develop a potential first-in-class, mRNA based COVID-19 vaccine. A public threat like coronavirus COVID-19 pushes each of us to urgently bring forward our resources and expertise to overcome this most challenging moment in the medical history of this century.”
Holding Out Hope.
So while we wait at home, volunteer, or bravely come to the forefront of the pandemic, I hope it brings some comfort to know that there are dozens of companies just like the five above working tirelessly to find a solution to COVID-19, and we are inching closer and closer every day.
Meanwhile, keep your hands clean, keep your distance, and stay safe!
(2): https://www.clinicaltrialsarena.com/news/inovio-covid-19-vaccine-trial/
(4): https://www.geekwire.com/2020/search-covid-19-cure-amgen-adaptive-biotech-partner-quest-new-drug/
(6): https://www.modernatx.com/modernas-work-potential-vaccine-against-covid-19
(7): https://www.fool.com/investing/2020/04/09/is-mrna-the-key-to-a-coronavirus-vaccine.aspx
