A Globally Accessible Therapy Is Found to Protect Against Lethal Inflammation
from COVID-19 in Animal Models
New York, NY – Mount Sinai researchers have found that a widely available and inexpensive drug targeting inflammatory genes has reduced morbidity and mortality in mice infected with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. In a study published in Cell, the team reported that the drug, topotecan (TPT), inhibited the expression of inflammatory genes in the lungs of mice as late as four days after infection, a finding with potential implications for treatment of humans.
“So far, in pre-clinical models of COVID-19, there are no therapies– either antiviral, antibody, or plasma – shown to improve SARS-CoV-2 infection outcomes when administered after more than one day post-infection,” says senior author Ivan Marazzi, PhD, Associate Professor in the Microbiology Department at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “This is a huge problem because people who have severe COVID19 and get hospitalized, often do not present symptoms until many days after infection. We took a different approach, and sought to find a potential therapy that can be used during later stages of the disease. We found that topoisomerase 1 (TOP1) inhibitors given days after the infection can limit the expression of inflammatory genes in the lungs of infected animals to prevent an “hyper-inflammatory status” Moreover, says Dr. Marazzi, topotecan (TPT), an FDA-approved TOP1 inhibitor, as well as its derivatives, are inexpensive clinical-grade inhibitors available in most countries around the world for use as anti-cancer agents.
Although the pathophysiology of SARS-CoV-2 is not yet fully understood, scientists have observed that the virus triggers excess production of cytokines and chemokines – chemicals, which are secreted by cells of the immune system to help fight infection. An exaggerated immune system response, which characteristically occurs in the lungs of COVID-19 patients, can flood the infected area with white blood cells, resulting in inflammation, possible tissue damage, organ failure, and death. Reduction of the inflammatory state in such patients could therefore improve their clinical outcomes.
In a previous study published in Science in 2016, the same group at Mount Sinai found that inhibiting the activation of inflammatory genes could help prevent animal deaths from viral and bacterial infections, and suggested this could be a potent strategy against future pandemics. The current study – led by Mount Sinai along with partners from Singapore, Hong Kong, the U.K., the U.S., and other global sites -- expands on that earlier work to show how epigenetic therapy, which addresses the chemical modifications that influence gene expression, could be harnessed against severe cases of COVID-19.
The team’s research suggests that many other anti-inflammatory agents are less effective against COVID-19 because they target single inflammatory mediators, such as IL-6 or IL-1, or only specific gene expression programs. “The fact is, a multitude of inflammatory genes and signaling pathways are dysregulated during a SARS-CoV-2 infection,” explained lead author Jessica Sook Yuin Ho, PhD, a postdoctoral researcher at the Icahn School of Medicine. “We demonstrated that TOP1 inhibitors were able to broadly dampen inflammatory gene expression in animal models, regardless of the gene or activation pathway.”
The safety and efficacy of this treatment strategy in humans will soon be evaluated at clinical sites around the world, including India, where a trial recently began. The World Health Organization (WHO) is expected to play an important role in these studies.
“Findings from our work suggest that repurposing TOP1 inhibitors could be a valuable global strategy for treating severe cases of COVID-19,” emphasizes Dr. Marazzi. “Particularly attractive is the fact TPT is already FDA-approved and that its derivatives are inexpensive, with generic formulations existing throughout the world. This makes these drugs readily accessible and available for immediate use in both developed and developing countries across the world.”
About Dr. Ivan Marazzi
Dr. Marazzi is an Assistant Professor with Tenure in the Department of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in NY, NY, USA. He has a broad background in virology, immunology, molecular biology and biochemistry, genetics and epigenetics. Over the course of his career, Dr. Marazzi has been active in several areas—including coding and non-coding RNA biology, genetics and epigenetics of the immune system, evolutionary biology and genomic of viruses. The major focus of Dr. Marazzi’s ongoing research is the investigation of unique and shared molecular pathways that control inflammatory responses established by infections and cancer initiation and progression, with a focus on how these processes can be targeted to ameliorate disease.
Dr. Marazzi’s transformative discoveries have resulted in many distinguished awards, including the Chan Zuckerberg Institute-Ben Barres Challenge in Neurodegeneration in 2018 . Dr. Marazzi’s research has been published by both the media and scientific journals and his work has resulted in multiple patents for novel treatment of infectious and inflammatory diseases.
About the Mount Sinai Health System
The Mount Sinai Health System is New York City's largest academic medical system, encompassing eight hospitals, a leading medical school, and a vast network of ambulatory practices throughout the greater New York region. Mount Sinai is a national and international source of unrivaled education, translational research and discovery, and collaborative clinical leadership ensuring that we deliver the highest quality care—from prevention to treatment of the most serious and complex human diseases. The Health System includes more than 7,200 physicians and features a robust and continually expanding network of multispecialty services.
