AI Summary
Scientists have developed an inhaled therapy for COVID-19 using an engineered ACE2 receptor as a decoy to prevent the binding of the virus. The therapy was found to be effective in reducing virus levels in infected monkeys.
Scientists have developed an inhaled therapy for COVID-19 by engineering angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor to act as a decoy and prevent the binding of SARS-CoV-2 to host receptors. The engineered ACE2, 3N39v4-Fc, was found to have a 100-times higher binding affinity to the spike protein than unmodified (wild-type) ACE2 in rodent models in previous studies. The latest preclinical study used cynomolgus macaques infected with the delta (B.1.617.2) variant and found that virus levels were reduced in infected monkeys treated with 3N39v4-Fc, highlighting the decoy’s potential to treat disease.