UMass Medical School scientists Katherine A. Fitzgerald, PhD; Fiachra Humphries, PhD; and Liraz Galia, PhD, working with the British-based pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, have identified a novel molecule capable of stimulating the innate immune system against SARS-CoV-2 virus. A trigger for the STING (stimulator of interferon genes) pathway, the compound, diamidobenzimidazole (diABZI-4), protected animal models and human cells in the lab from SARS-CoV-2 infection. Published in Science Immunology, these results show that diABZI-4 has the potential to be an effective antiviral prophylaxis against COVID-19.
“Identifying antiviral therapies for SARS-CoV-2 is still desperately needed while vaccines continue to rollout worldwide,” said Dr. Fitzgerald, the Worcester Foundation for Biomedical Research Chair, professor of medicine, vice chair of research in the Department of Medicine and director of the Program in Innate Immunity. “An approach like this, using a STING agonist, could be deployed to protect those at highest risk in this pandemic but also in future pandemics before we have drugs that target the virus itself.” Fitzgerald and Dr. Galia, a postdoctoral associate in the Fitzgerald lab, are authors on the paper.
umassmed.edu/news/news-arch...
Science Immunology. Research Paper:
