INmune Bio is set to begin phase two human trials on a COVID-19 treatment in August that takes aim at what many scientists believe is the most lethal aspect of the virus.
"We think the primary problem is actually the blood clots," CEO Dr. Raymond J. Tesi told Cheddar on Thursday. "It's not the lungs. It's not the kidneys."
The small San Diego biotech company specializes in treating different types of inflammation, including another treatment that made headlines this week for showing promise in reducing brain inflammation in Alzheimer's patients. In the case of coronavirus, the company is developing a treatment that targets an immune response called the cytokine storm.
"The cytokine storm is basically a hyper-acute kind of inflammation that's like an atomic bomb going off in the patient," Tesi said. "In causing all of that inflammation, it causes all kinds of problems."
This is the same process that contributed to the high mortality rate of the Spanish Flu in 1918.
While COVID-19 was initially seen as a lung disease, it's now widely understood that it impacts every organ system in the body, Tesi said.
The virus itself is also less lethal than the outsized immune response that it causes in the body. This reaction can cause the inflammation of the endothelial cells — the lining or bricks that make up blood vessels — which can lead to blood clots.
"We believe that the key problem is actually something called the coagulopathy," Tesi said. "All these little blood clots form, and they break off and block the small blood vessels to things like the lung, the heart, the kidneys, the brain, you name it."
INmune's drug targets an immune protein called TNF that is found in inflamed tissue. Other companies have sought to block out the molecule altogether, while INmune pinpoints the most inflammatory form of the molecule, according to Tesi.
The phase two trial will treat 100 coronavirus patients with comorbidities or risk factors such as age, diabetes, and ethnic background, with the goal of treating them before they become intubated. The company is working closely with the FDA to develop the drug as quickly as possible, but Tesi did not provide a date for approving the drug and beginning mass distribution.
"The process of getting a phase two trial up and running a heavy lift for any company, but particularly a small company," he said.
It’s a chicken-and-egg problem: Restaurants are struggling with record-high U.S. egg prices, but their omelets, scrambles and huevos rancheros may be part of the problem. Breakfast is booming at U.S. eateries. First Watch, a restaurant chain that serves breakfast, brunch and lunch, nearly quadrupled its locations over the past decade to 570. Fast-food chains like Starbucks and Wendy's added more egg-filled breakfast items. In normal times, egg producers could meet the demand. But a bird flu outbreak that has forced them to slaughter their flocks is making supplies scarcer and pushing up prices. Some restaurants like Waffle House have added a surcharge to offset their costs.
William Falcon, CEO and Founder of Lightning AI, discusses the ongoing feud between Elon Musk and Sam Altman, and how everyday people can use AI in their lives.
U.S. tariffs on steel and aluminum “will not go unanswered,” European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen vowed on Tuesday, adding that they will trigger toug
The Trump administration has ordered the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau to stop nearly all its work, effectively shutting down the agency that was created to protect consumers after the 2008 financial crisis and subprime mortgage-lending scandal. Russell Vought is the newly installed director of the Office of Management and Budget. Vought directed the CFPB in a Saturday night email to stop work on proposed rules, to suspend the effective dates on any rules that were finalized but not yet effective, and to stop investigative work and not begin any new investigations. The agency has been a target of conservatives since President Barack Obama created it following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.
Jeff Benedict, author of 'The Dynasty,' weighs in on the Kansas City Chiefs being the next big dynasty, who he thinks will win Super Bowl LIX and more. Watch!
