EEUU // COVID19 . Treatment Oral Masitinib Inhibits The Replication of SARS-CoV-2 in Preclinical Models | Technology Networks . Post By Science .

Scientists from the University of Chicago have found that the drug masitinib may be effective in treating COVID-19.

The drug, which has undergone several clinical trials for human conditions but has not yet received approval to treat humans, inhibited the replication of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, in human cell cultures and in a mouse model, leading to much lower viral loads.

“(X-ray crystallography) gave us a strong indication of how this drug works, and we became confident that it has a chance to work in humans.” — Nir Drayman, University of Chicago.

The research team, including scientists from the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory, also found that the drug could be effective against many types of coronaviruses and picornaviruses. Because of the way it inhibits replication, it has also been shown to remain effective in the face of COVID-19 variants.

“Inhibitors of the main protease of SARS-CoV-2, like masitinib, could be a new potential way to treat COVID patients, especially in early stages of the disease,” said Savas Tay of the University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering, who led the research. ​“COVID-19 will likely be with us for many years, and novel coronaviruses will continue to arise. Finding existing drugs that have antiviral properties can be an essential part of treating these diseases.”

The research team used the ultrabright X-rays of the Advanced Photon Source (APS), a U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science User Facility at Argonne, to determine structures of the SARS-CoV-2 virus with the drug.

 The Results Where published in Science.

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