STING agonist to block the new coronavirus in the body's first line of defense shows the potential to prevent infection

When the new coronavirus invades the human body, the first line of defense that needs to be crossed is usually the epithelial cells of the respiratory tract and alveoli.

In the first study, the research team of the University of Pennsylvania found that the new coronavirus can avoid the production of activated interferon (IFN) in an in vitro culture experiment of human respiratory cells.

Then, the research team tested the effect of a powerful STING activator called diABZI in two different mouse models of new coronavirus infection.

In the second study, the research team from the University of Massachusetts Medical School and GlaxoSmithKline (GlaxoSmithKline) tested another variant of diABZI in a mouse model infected with the new coronavirus.

In future work, the two research teams will work to determine the appropriate dosage and administration method of diABZI in humans, and to prove whether lung-targeted therapy can also be used to treat other respiratory pathogens, including influenza.

Reference materials:

[1] Li, M.

[2] Humphries, F.

[3] SARS-CoV-2 Gets a STING From Diaminobenzimidazoles.