A consortium called Fraunhofer International Consortium for Anti-Infective Research (iCAIR) — composed of researchers from Fraunhofer ITEM, Griffith University, Hannover Medical School, and Twincore — has announced that it has initiated a project to develop inhaled drugs to treat COVID-19, starting with high-throughput screening for candidates by temporary consortium member Fraunhofer IME. The consortium will also explore the role of glycosylation in how SARS-CoV-2 affects patients.
The iCAIR consortium was already aiming to develop treatments for other respiratory viruses, including influenza, RSV, and other coronaviruses, as well as pathogens such as P. aeruginosa. According to a web page for the project, iCAIR is intended to facilitate development of anti-infectives by “bridging the gap from the discovery of new agents to their development by the pharmaceutical industry” and “The development platform established in the iCAIR project will be made available to external partners in addition to its use in proprietary projects.”
iCAIR consortium coordinator and Fraunhofer ITEM Director of Preclinical Pharmacology and Toxicology Armin Braun explained why the group intends to develop the leading candidates for inhaled delivery: “We will systematically investigate inhaled administration of the candidate drugs, as the coronavirus-2 primarily infects the lungs and airways. Administering therapeutics via the airways enables high local concentrations at the site of infection, reducing the required doses of active substance. In addition, systemic side effects can be minimized.”
Read the iCAIR press release.
