Descripción del proyecto
Inmunización pasiva como estrategia para tratar la infección por coronavirus
Si queremos aplanar la curva de infecciones y disponer del tiempo necesario para los enfoques de inmunidad colectiva, es necesario que logremos de forma inmediata una inmunización pasiva de corta duración como terapia contra la COVID-19. Esta estrategia requiere el aprovechamiento de la heterogeneidad extrema de la respuesta inmunitaria antivírica humana. La empresa irlandesa Remedy Biologics ha desarrollado una plataforma que permite analizar de forma rápida y simultánea millones de células inmunitarias productoras de un único anticuerpo a partir de una muestra individual. Presenta una oportunidad para identificar los mejores anticuerpos a partir de los sistemas inmunitarios de convalecientes de COVID-19 para, a partir de ellos, crear agentes terapéuticos pasivos para pacientes gravemente enfermos. El proyecto financiado con fondos europeos RapCo-19 tiene por objeto combinar nuevas tecnologías de descubrimiento para crear una plataforma que permita identificar y producir rápidamente anticuerpos antivirales neutralizadores de la COVID-19.
Objetivo
The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic requires the most serious and rapid healthcare response seen in modern history. The lag time between the emergence of the pathogen and the implementation of a licensed vaccine still remains an obstacle for prophylactic measures. In addition, how long immunity lasts for following COVID-19 infection is a big unknown. The development of immunity to the currently circulating SARS-CoV2 may not provide sterilising protection against subsequent coronavirus infections. If this were to be confirmed, it would add to the challenge of managing the pandemic.
Short-lived passive immunisation with an anti-COVID-19 therapy is immediately required to treat infected patients and to ‘flatten the infection curve’ and to provide time for ‘herd immunity’ approaches. Devising an effective strategy requires an approach that is designed to exploit the extreme heterogeneity of the human anti-viral immune response.
RemedyBio’s Nanoreactor technology is such a system. It is the result of a 5-year research programme to develop a platform to rapidly and simultaneously analyse millions of single antibody-producing immune cells from an individual sample. In the context of COVID-19, this presents an opportunity to rapidly identify the best antibodies from the immune systems of COVID-19 convalescent patients from which to create a rapid passive therapeutic for those that are critically ill from the virus.
Based on records from 1918/1919, it is plausible for the COVID-19 pandemic to wane in the late spring (in Europe), and come back as a second wave in the winter, which, as was the case in 1918, could be even worse than what we're facing now. COVID-19 is a global health problem and we need to be ready for this. This project is designed to combine novel discovery and delivery technologies to form a platform to rapidly identify, produce and deliver anti-viral neutralising antibodies to COVID-19.
Ámbito científico
Palabras clave
Programa(s)
Convocatoria de propuestas
Consulte otros proyectos de esta convocatoriaConvocatoria de subcontratación
H2020-EIC-SMEInst-2018-2020-3
Régimen de financiación
SME - SME instrumentCoordinador
A84R970 ASHBOURNE CO MEATH
Irlanda
Organización definida por ella misma como pequeña y mediana empresa (pyme) en el momento de la firma del acuerdo de subvención.