POSTECH Professor Seungwoo Lee’s team discovers new drug candidates effective against various respiratory viruses: Media Gyeongbuk
Ahead of last year’s winter season, the Korean Medical Association recommended that immunovulnerable groups receive flu and COVID-19 vaccines at the same time. The news that they would have to have injections in both arms must have come as a surprise to the children. However, a substance capable of multitasking, which simultaneously prevents and treats influenza and COVID-19 viruses, has recently been announced and is attracting attention. POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) Professor Seung-Woo Lee, Department of Life Sciences and Graduate School of Convergence, Soo-Bin Park and Yu-Jin Jeong, Department of Life Sciences and Integrated Course, Co., Ltd The research team of NeoImmuneTech (CEO Yang Se-hwan) led by Dr. Choi Dong-hoon has discovered a new drug candidate that can be used as a preventive and therapeutic agent for major respiratory viral infections through joint research with Gyeongbuk Bioindustry Research Institute and the International Vaccine Institute. This study was recently published in the international academic journal “Cell Reports Medicine”. Recently, the number of infections is increasing again across the world, centered on “JN.1″, a new variant of COVID-19. According to the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, this mutation has become a dominant species in Korea, with a detection rate of more than 50%. Vaccines are effective against specific viruses, but every time a mutant virus appears, it takes time to develop a new vaccine, which can lead to a public health crisis like the latest COVID-19 pandemic. To respond quickly to constantly occurring mutations, treatments that can be applied more widely are needed. The research team focused on whether rhIL-7-hyFc (NT-I7; efineptakin alfa), a long-acting recombinant protein cytokine* in clinical development as a novel immunotherapy drug, can activate various immune cells in the respiratory tract. has studied the possibility of using it as a treatment for respiratory viruses. As a result of the experiment, this protein induced the influx of acquired T cells and the proliferation of innate-type T cells in the lung. Innate-type T cells were capable of rapid and extensive defense against various pathogens, as if they functioned according to the mechanism with which they were born. As a result, it has shown treatment and prevention effects against COVID-19 virus, influenza virus and respiratory syncytial virus*. A new drug candidate has been discovered that can be applied universally to major respiratory diseases, rather than to a specific virus. *Cytokine: Refers to an immunomodulatory protein secreted by immune cells. *Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV): A virus that causes colds, bronchitis, pneumonia and bronchiolitis in children and adults. It is known to be the most common cause of pneumonia in children under 5 years of age. Seungwoo Lee, who led this study Professor said: “Through collaborative research between industry, academia and research, we have found clues to prepare for future respiratory virus pandemics,” adding: “We are creating the possibility of a treatment universal control of simultaneous and serial infections of respiratory viruses and bacteria is a reality.” “We will continue research for this purpose,” he said. Meanwhile, this research was conducted with the support of the Technology Development Project for the Prevention and Treatment of Infectious Diseases of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, the Mid-Career Researchers Support Project of the Korean National Research Foundation, and the technological development of the bioindustry of the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy. Project.
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