CohBar and NIAID set to assess CB5064 Analogues for COVID-19 and respiratory distress treatment.
Clinical stage biotech CohBar and the US National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) have signed a non-clinical evaluation agreement (NCEA) to analyse CB5064 Analogues for the treatment of COVID-19 and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).
Longevity.Technology: CohBar is a clinical stage biotechnology company developing mitochondria-based therapeutics to treat chronic diseases and extend healthy lifespan. 2020/21 has seen concentrated research into respiratory diseases, for obvious reasons, and although the goal has been to tackle COVID-19, the benefits to Longevity of this research will be considerable.
ARDS can often result in lifelong breathing problems, needing supplemental oxygen. This impacts both lifespan and healthspan, so this collaboration could be a gateway to respiratory therapy that improves both. In addition, as the long-term effects of Long COVID and its impact on Longevity begin to be understood, therapies will be needed that reverse C19’s life-limiting after-effects.
CohBar is developing its CB5064 Analogues for potential treatment of ARDS, including COVID-19 associated ARDS. Novel Analogues of the mitochondrially-encoded peptide CB5064 have been shown to interact with the apelin receptor in preclinical models of ARDS; the analogues have also previously demonstrated beneficial effects on glucose tolerance, insulin sensitivity and weight loss in an obese mouse model of T2D, as presented at the American Diabetes Association in 2019 [1].
The CohBar research programme has shown positive results in models of acute lung injury, which included reduced levels of fluid accumulation, neutrophil infiltration and cytokine secretion.
A division of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), NIAID conducts and supports basic and applied research to better understand, treat, and ultimately prevent infectious, immunologic and allergic diseases.
“CohBar’s mitochondrial based therapeutics may generate entirely new approaches to diseases.”
CohBar will be using the non-clinical and pre-clinical services programme offered by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. Under the agreement, NIAID will be provided with CohBar’s CB5064 Analogues to test in preclinical models of COVID-19, such as the golden Syrian hamster SARS-CoV-2 model. This model has been used in the assessment of other COVID-19 therapeutics and demonstrates clinical features, viral kinetics, histopathological changes and immune responses similar to mild to moderate disease seen in human COVID-19 patients [2].
Previously, CohBar submitted its CB5064 Analogue programme to Accelerating COVID-19 Therapeutic Interventions and Vaccines (ACTIV), a public-private partnership led by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and coordinated by the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health (FNIH) to develop a research strategy for prioritising and speeding development of the most promising COVID-19 vaccines and treatments. Discussion with NIAID was initiated following review of the program by ACTIV/FNIH.
“We are pleased to collaborate with NIAID to provide further evaluation of our CB5064 Analogues in a model of COVID-19 ARDS,” stated Dr Kenneth Cundy, CohBar’s Chief Scientific Officer. “CohBar’s mitochondrial based therapeutics may generate entirely new approaches to diseases, which we believe complements the pioneering work being conducted by NIAID. We look forward to working with NIAID on this research program [3].”
[1] https://bit.ly/3a0GYDV
[2] https://www.cell.com/cell-host-microbe/fulltext/S1931-3128(20)30521-7
[3] https://ir.cohbar.com/press-releases/detail/135/cohbar-announces-preclinical-collaboration-with-niaid-to
