Hyderabad researchers say anti-diabetes drug may match for Covid-19

HYDERABAD: A research team from Hyderabad has found that the anti-diabetes drug ertugliflozin can work against Covid-19.

Researchers from ReaGene Innovations Private Limited, a startup incubated in ASPIRE-BioNEST sponsored by Hyderabad University and the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), and INDRAS Private Limited have justified a rationale for the anti-diabetic drug ertugliflozin as a reused drug from the In -vitro or in-silico studies could offer a therapeutic solution for Covid-19 infection. Their results suggest that this repurposed drug not only effectively binds to the receptor binding domain of the spike protein of Covid-19, but also blocks the binding to human ACE2 (a receptor to which the Covid-19 virus binds), but also shows significant anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic properties in a 3D model of the human vascular lungs, both of which are the foundations of Covid-19 infection.

This is the first result to offer people infected with Covid-19 a safe, ready-to-use and affordable solution. “It has immense potential for treating Covid-19 infection, and our research is proving its effectiveness in the test tube assays,” said Dr. Uday Saxena, CEO of ReaGene Innovations, who together with Dr. Subramanyam Vangala and Dr. Sreedhara Voleti, MD. was founded by INDRAS. Ertugliflozin is an FDA-cleared drug for type 2 diabetes that works as an SGLT-2 inhibitor by removing excess glucose in the urine.

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Focusing on consulting, contracting and collaborative solutions for in-silico drug design, INDRAS has prioritized approximately 8,000 FDA-approved drugs among the top 10 of their computer studies that ReaGene Innovations further tested for various in vitro assays on cytokine storm were found to have antithrombotic properties and lowering of inflammatory markers through various in vitro tests, according to an official statement from the University of Hyderabad.

The path to finding such a repurposed drug was critically planned and completed within a year of funding from IT giant Tech Mahindra. The Tech Mahindra team under the efficient direction of Dr. Ratnakar Palakodeti, Global Practice Head of Life Sciences, and Mr. Nikhil Malhotra, Global Head of Makers Lab, together with the scientific partnership of INDRAS and ReaGene, brought this useful innovation that is immensely helpful for humanity affected by Covid -19. The results of this research were recently published in a journal (BioRxIV) and a patent has been applied for in both India and PCT. “We found a molecule that could potentially attack the coronavirus. We have applied for a joint patent, “said Malhotra. The results obtained are very encouraging and further in animal models towards preclinical and clinical results in humans have yet to be carried out for this drug to be officially nominated as a therapeutic for Covid. -19.

ASPIRE-BioNEST is a life sciences incubator jointly funded by BIRAC, a non-profit organization of the Department of Biotechnology, Govt. of India, and the University of Hyderabad (UoH) for advancing scaling technologies through entrepreneurship at the University of Hyderabad’s School of Life Sciences with a commitment to nurture startups like ReaGene Innovations and help them achieve their goals through the Provision of plug-and-play opportunities.