CARE paper published in iScience: CD177 is associated with coronavirus disease severity 

In an effort to increase the understanding of SARS-CoV-2, CARE researchers found that the activation of a type of white blood cells called neutrophils could be linked to the overexpression of a protein encoded by the CD177 gene. They concluded that CD177 is a reliable prognostic marker for routine care.

To learn more, read the paper in iScience: CD177, a specific marker of neutrophil activation, is associated with coronavirus disease 2019 severity and death

CARE paper published in Nature: HCQ use against SARS-CoV-2 infection

CARE scientists demonstrated that there is no definitive evidence that Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ), whether alone or in combination with azithromycin, is effective for treating COVID-19. The investigation was part of CARE’s efforts to evaluate the efficacy of repurposed drugs.

To learn more, read the paper in Nature: Hydroxychloroquine use against SARS-CoV-2 infection in non-human primates

Repurposing efforts conducted

The partners of the CARE consortium conducted a high throughput screening (HTS), or testing, of approximately 20,000 approved or clinically validated compounds as part of its emergency response track (pillar 1 of the research programme). The CARE research teams identified several single digit µM compounds. However, none of these were deemed beneficial for repurposing, as the identified compounds were either similar to those identified by other groups or were inappropriate for further development. The CARE consortium will consider the findings in its efforts for future pandemic preparedness (pillars 2 and 3 of the research programme) and insights gained in the other research pillars will support the emergency response moving forward.

CARE scientists identified a SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody with activity against all known variants of concern

One of CARE’s approach to develop therapeutics to address the COVID-19 pandemic is the discovery of virus neutralizing antibodies. With this goal, the CARE partner Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois screened B cells from COVID-19 donors and identifyed P5C3, a highly potent and broadly neutralizing monoclonal antibody with activity against all SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern that are known to date.

The research findings suggest that P5C3 is a promissing candidate as a prophylactic agent in  immunocompromised individuals with poor response to vaccination or as combination therapy in SARS-CoV-2 infected individuals.

To learn more, read the article in Cell Reports: A highly potent antibody effective against SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern.

One Year of CARE Against COVID-19 / Interview Part 3 /

On March 11, 2020 the novel coronavirus outbreak has been declared a pandemic. To combat the virus, multiple approaches are needed including therapeutic options that help those who are infected and those who are not able to be vaccinated or do not develop a strong immune response. In addition, there is a need for therapeutic approaches that help preparing for future outbreaks. Less than a month later, on April 1, 2020 the CARE consortium was formed to collaborate under as a public-private partnership to address these challenges as Europe’s largest research initiative in the fight against SARS-CoV-2 funded by the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI). 

In this three-part interview series, the members of the CARE Executive Committee reflect on the first of five years of CARE, answering questions like:  

• How was the team able to set up a consortium of 37 partners in a record time? 
• How can a project of this size make notable progress albeit not working together face-to-face?  
• How can CARE help to develop relevant therapeutic options?  

Professor Yves Lévy as the academic coordinator, Marnix Van Loock as the EFPIA project leader and Kumar Singh Saikatendu as the project co-leader provided answers and insights below. 

Part 3 – FINDING SOLUTIONS: A two-pronged strategy to develop relevant assets 

CARE is a five-year project with the aspiration to discover and develop several new and effective medicines and follows a two-fold strategy: a shorter-term emergency response track through drug repurposing as well as on a longer-term track for the discovery of new therapeutic candidates to prepare for the current and future outbreaks. 

What does it mean for you to be in a project progressing these two tracks simultaneously and where do they stand? 

Marnix van Loock: Right from the start of the CARE consortium, our ambitions have been clear: to identify opportunities that support the imminent relief for COVID-19 patients during the current pandemic which has recently been complicated with the identification of the variants of concern; and to prepare for the future. Within CARE, we screened the compound libraries of our partners with the aim to find candidates for repurposing. Unfortunately, these efforts did not yield any clinical candidates. However, the antibody development is already showing promising results with highly potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies.  

Yves Lévy: It’s important to highlight that we treat both tracks with the same commitment as there are strong links between the emergency response and the long-term strategy. The findings in the fight against the current pandemic benefit the track for the future pandemic preparedness. 

The CARE project is navigating a changing landscape and accordingly the strategy includes finding solutions for coronavirus variants. How do the new coronavirus variants impact the work and strategic orientation of CARE? 

Yves Lévy: The CARE consortium follows a very reactive approach and includes the variants of concern in its research, for example by testing the SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies against these variants. 

Marnix van Loock: The evolving SARS-CoV-2 landscape is indeed very high on the agenda of the CARE partners. We proactively incorporate this aspect into the project’s strategy to guarantee that the assets in development stay relevant. For this, we brought all leaders of the work packages together to discuss and outline the impact of the variants of concern and defined strategies accordingly. Actually, the emergence of the coronavirus variants increases the importance of CARE’s work! 

The CARE Executive Committee wishes to express its gratitude towards each member of the CARE consortium appreciating their enthusiasm, scientific passion, drive and willingness to collaborate that build the heart of CARE – a heart that is beating vividly due to everyone’s time and effort. 

– Sarah Soetbeer  

This is the last part of the three-part interview with the CARE Executive Committee. Please find the other parts here.