Adds further support for its broad-spectrum mechanism of action following other recent TBI, ALS and tropical virus studies
Viken, Sweden – 13th September 2022 – TikoMed today announced the inclusion in bioRxiv* of an in vitro study evaluating the ability of the company’s lead drug candidate ILB® to:
- inhibit infection of human cells by the NL63 coronavirus assessed by immunofluorescence of viral particles; and
- directly block the interaction of the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein with the ACE2 receptor; and
- modulate the downstream consequences of viral infection including the reactive cytokine release from human microglia induced by various SARS-CoV-2 variant spike proteins.
The study shows that ILB® blocked ACE2:spike protein interaction and inhibited coronaviral infection. ILB® also attenuated the omicron-induced release of pro-inflammatory cytokines, including TNFα, from human microglia, indicating control of post-viral neuroinflammation.
“This work extends our findings of ILB®’s antiviral impact upon flavivirus infections to now include coronavirus. Furthermore, we are excited to have uncovered a potential molecular mechanism for these findings by showing that ILB® inhibited SARS-CoV-2 spike protein interacting with ACE2, the key docking site for SARS-CoV-2 to gain entry to human cells,” said Professor Ann Logan PhD (Professor of Regenerative Medicine & CSO, Axolotl Ltd).
Professor Nicholas Barnes PhD PBPhS (Professor of Pharmacology & CEO, Celentyx Ltd) also commented: “In pathological post-viral fatigue syndromes such as long COVID, a key brain cell called microglia appear overactive and promote the associated neuroinflammation. This data showed that activated microglia are calmed by ILB® in vitro and suggests ILB® has the potential to inhibit neuroinflammation and hence improve symptoms of patients with conditions such as long COVID.”
TikoMed recently announced the publication of a peer-reviewed article on the mode of action of ILB®. In multiple preclinical and clinical studies across a variety of neuroinflammation-driven diseases. ILB® both mobilized and modulated naturally occurring tissue repair mechanisms, released heparin-binding growth factors, and restored cellular homeostasis and function, https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2022.983853.
Additionally, TikoMed has reported that ILB® inhibited infection of human cells by Dengue, Zika and Yellow Fever viruses in vitro, https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.08.31.503293v1.full.
Contact: info@tikomed.com or +46 42 23 84 40
Media:
International: Richard Hayhurst richard@rhapr.eu or +44 7711 821527
Nordics: Ola Bjorkman ola.bjorkman@letemknow.se or +46 70 245 7497
About Corona viruses
Coronaviruses are a large family of enveloped, positive-stranded RNA pathogenic viruses that cause infectious disease in animals and humans. For example, the highly transmissible SARS-CoV-2 virus causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19) which causes a mild to moderate respiratory disease in most humans, but susceptible individuals can become dangerously ill, developing severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) that can result in organ damage1. The global pandemic of COVID-19 disease that has spread since 2019 has had devastating health, social and economic consequences that remain burdensome2.
By August 2022 that World Health Organisation report 599,825,400 confirmed cases of COVID19 and 6,469,458 confirmed deaths (https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019), representing just over 1% of those infected.
TikoMed AB
TikoMed is committed to improve human life by exploring and harnessing the medical potential of the body’s ability to self-repair and regenerate. With an adaptive, multi-modal mechanism of action, TikoMed’s drug platform has the potential to rebalance the body’s inflammatory, immune and fibrotic responses to acute and chronic inflammation to enhance self-repair and regeneration. TikoMed’s initial development programs include Amyothrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and islet cell transplantation. TikoMed’s highly scalable proprietary technology aims to provide safe, qualitative and affordable medicine to as many patients as possible across the globe. TikoMed is privately-owned and based in Viken, Sweden. To learn more, visit www.tikomed.com
*bioRxiv is a free online archive and distribution service for unpublished preprints in the life sciences. It is operated by Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and educational institution. By posting preprints on bioRxiv, authors are able to make their findings immediately available to the scientific community and receive feedback on draft manuscripts before they are submitted to journals.
For full study details on “A clinical stage LMW-DS drug inhibits cell infection by coronaviruses and modulates reactive cytokine release from microglia,” please access the publication: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2022.09.07.506919v1.
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1Mistry P, Barmania F, Mellet J, Peta K, Strydom A, Viljoen IM, James W, Gordon S, Pepper MS. SARS-CoV-2 Variants, Vaccines, and Host Immunity. Front Immunol. 2022 Jan 3;12:809244. doi:
10.3389/fimmu.2021.809244. PMID: 35046961; PMCID: PMC8761766.
2Koelle K, Martin MA, Antia R, Lopman B, Dean NE. The changing epidemiology of SARS-CoV-2. Science. 2022 Mar 11;375(6585):1116-1121. doi: 10.1126/science.abm4915. Epub 2022 Mar 10.
PMID: 35271324; PMCID: PMC9009722