Biology subjects

Beutler, N.

Publications and source records attributed to Beutler, N..

7 recordsLinked to original sources

bioRxiv2020

Adult Stem Cell-derived Complete Lung Organoid Models Emulate Lung Disease in COVID-19

SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19, causes widespread damage in the lungs in the setting of an overzealous immune response whose origin remains unclear. We present a scalable, propagable, personalized, cost-effective adult stem cell-derived human lung organoid model that is complete with both proximal and distal airway epithelia. Monolayers derived from adult lung organoids (ALOs), primary airway cells, or hiPSC-derived alveolar type-II (AT2) pneumocytes were infected with SARS-CoV-2 to create in vitro lung models of COVID-19. Infected ALO-monolayers best recapitulated the transcriptomic signatures in diverse cohorts of COVID-19 patient-derived respiratory samples. The airway (proximal) cells were critical for sustained viral infection, whereas distal alveolar differentiation (AT2[->]AT1) was critical for mounting the overzealous host immune response in fatal disease; ALO monolayers with well-mixed proximodistal airway components recapitulated both. Findings validate a human lung model of COVID-19, which can be immediately utilized to investigate COVID-19 pathogenesis and vet new therapies and vaccines. GRAPHIC ABSTRACT O_FIG O_LINKSMALLFIG WIDTH=200 HEIGHT=176 SRC="FIGDIR/small/344002v4_ufig1.gif" ALT="Figure 1"> View larger version (52K): org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@1d1507aorg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@faa17forg.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@80ceb1org.highwire.dtl.DTLVardef@81d61c_HPS_FORMAT_FIGEXP M_FIG C_FIG HIGHLIGHTSO_LIHuman lung organoids with mixed proximodistal epithelia are created C_LIO_LIProximal airway cells are critical for viral infectivity C_LIO_LIDistal alveolar cells are important for emulating host response C_LIO_LIBoth are required for the overzealous response in severe COVID-19 C_LI IN BRIEFAn integrated stem cell-based disease modeling and computational approach demonstrate how both proximal airway epithelium is critical for SARS-CoV-2 infectivity, but distal differentiation of alveolar pneumocytes is critical for simulating the overzealous host response in fatal COVID-19.

cell biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Cross-reactive serum and memory B cell responses to spike protein in SARS-CoV-2 and endemic coronavirus infection

Pre-existing immune responses to seasonal endemic coronaviruses could have profound consequences for antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2, either induced in natural infection or through vaccination. Such consequences are well established in the influenza and flavivirus fields. A first step to establish whether pre-existing responses can impact SARS-CoV-2 infection is to understand the nature and extent of cross-reactivity in humans to coronaviruses. We compared serum antibody and memory B cell responses to coronavirus spike (S) proteins from pre-pandemic and SARS-CoV-2 convalescent donors using a series of binding and functional assays. We found weak evidence of pre-existing SARS-CoV-2 cross-reactive serum antibodies in pre-pandemic donors. However, we found stronger evidence of pre-existing cross-reactive memory B cells that were activated on SARS-CoV-2 infection. Monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) isolated from the donors showed varying degrees of cross-reactivity with betacoronaviruses, including SARS and endemic coronaviruses. None of the cross-reactive mAbs were neutralizing except for one that targeted the S2 subunit of the S protein. The results suggest that pre-existing immunity to endemic coronaviruses should be considered in evaluating antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2.

immunology↗

bioRxiv2020

AI-guided discovery of the invariant host response to viral pandemics

We sought to define the host immune response, a.k.a, the "cytokine storm" that has been implicated in fatal COVID-19 using an AI-based approach. Over 45,000 transcriptomic datasets of viral pandemics were analyzed to extract a 166-gene signature using ACE2 as a seed gene; ACE2 was rationalized because it encodes the receptor that facilitates the entry of SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19) into host cells. Surprisingly, this 166-gene signature was conserved in all viral pandemics, including COVID-19, and a subset of 20-genes classified disease severity, inspiring the nomenclatures ViP and severe-ViP signatures, respectively. The ViP signatures pinpointed a paradoxical phenomenon wherein lung epithelial and myeloid cells mount an IL15 cytokine storm, and epithelial and NK cell senescence and apoptosis determines severity/fatality. Precise therapeutic goals were formulated and subsequently validated in high-dose SARS-CoV-2-challenged hamsters using neutralizing antibodies that abrogate SARS-CoV-2*ACE2 engagement or a directly acting antiviral agent, EIDD-2801. IL15/IL15RA were elevated in the lungs of patients with fatal disease, and plasma levels of the cytokine tracked with disease severity. Thus, the ViP signatures provide a quantitative and qualitative framework for titrating the immune response in viral pandemics and may serve as a powerful unbiased tool to rapidly assess disease severity and vet candidate drugs. One Sentence SummaryThe host immune response in COVID-19. PANEL: RESEARCH IN CONTEXTO_ST_ABSEvidence before this studyC_ST_ABSThe SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has inspired many groups to find innovative methodologies that can help us understand the host immune response to the virus; unchecked proportions of such immune response have been implicated in fatality. We searched GEO and ArrayExpress that provided many publicly available gene expression data that objectively measure the host immune response in diverse conditions. However, challenges remain in identifying a set of host response events that are common to every condition. There are no studies that provide a reproducible assessment of prognosticators of disease severity, the host response, and therapeutic goals. Consequently, therapeutic trials for COVID-19 have seen many more misses than hits. This work used multiple (> 45,000) gene expression datasets from GEO and ArrayExpress and analyzed them using an unbiased computational approach that relies upon fundamentals of gene expression patterns and mathematical precision when assessing them. Added value of this studyThis work identifies a signature that is surprisingly conserved in all viral pandemics, including Covid-19, inspiring the nomenclature ViP-signature. A subset of 20-genes classified disease severity in respiratory pandemics. The ViP signatures pinpointed the nature and source of the cytokine storm mounted by the host. They also helped formulate precise therapeutic goals and rationalized the repurposing of FDA-approved drugs. Implications of all the available evidenceThe ViP signatures provide a quantitative and qualitative framework for assessing the immune response in viral pandemics when creating pre-clinical models; they serve as a powerful unbiased tool to rapidly assess disease severity and vet candidate drugs.

bioinformatics↗

bioRxiv2020

Discovery of a Novel Inhibitor of Coronavirus 3CL Protease as a Clinical Candidate for the Potential Treatment of COVID-19

COVID-19 caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus has become a global pandemic. 3CL protease is a virally encoded protein that is essential across a broad spectrum of coronaviruses with no close human analogs. The designed phosphate prodrug PF-07304814 is metabolized to PF-00835321 which is a potent inhibitor in vitro of the coronavirus family 3CL pro, with selectivity over human host protease targets. Furthermore, PF-00835231 exhibits potent in vitro antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 as a single agent and it is additive/synergistic in combination with remdesivir. We present the ADME, safety, in vitro, and in vivo antiviral activity data that supports the clinical evaluation of this compound as a potential COVID-19 treatment.

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2020

Oral drug repositioning candidates and synergistic remdesivir combinations for the prophylaxis and treatment of COVID-19

The ongoing pandemic caused by the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), necessitates strategies to identify prophylactic and therapeutic drug candidates for rapid clinical deployment. A high-throughput, high-content imaging assay of human HeLa cells expressing the SARS-CoV-2 receptor ACE2 was used to screen ReFRAME, a best-in-class drug repurposing library. From nearly 12,000 compounds, we identified 66 compounds capable of selectively inhibiting SARS-CoV-2 replication in human cells. Twenty-four of these drugs show additive activity in combination with the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase inhibitor remdesivir and may afford increased in vivo efficacy. We also identified synergistic interaction of the nucleoside analog riboprine and a folate antagonist 10-deazaaminopterin with remdesivir. Overall, seven clinically approved drugs (halofantrine, amiodarone, nelfinavir, simeprevir, manidipine, ozanimod, osimertinib) and 19 compounds in other stages of development may have the potential to be repurposed as SARS-CoV-2 oral therapeutics based on their potency, pharmacokinetic and human safety profiles.

microbiology↗

bioRxiv2020

Machine Learning Models Identify Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2

With the ongoing SARS-CoV-2 pandemic there is an urgent need for the discovery of a treatment for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Drug repurposing is one of the most rapid strategies for addressing this need and numerous compounds have been selected for in vitro testing by several groups already. These have led to a growing database of molecules with in vitro activity against the virus. Machine learning models can assist drug discovery through prediction of the best compounds based on previously published data. Herein we have implemented several machine learning methods to develop predictive models from recent SARS-CoV-2 in vitro inhibition data and used them to prioritize additional FDA approved compounds for in vitro testing selected from our in-house compound library. From the compounds predicted with a Bayesian machine learning model, CPI1062 and CPI1155 showed antiviral activity in HeLa-ACE2 cell-based assays and represent potential repurposing opportunities for COVID-19. This approach can be greatly expanded to exhaustively virtually screen available molecules with predicted activity against this virus as well as a prioritization tool for SARS-CoV-2 antiviral drug discovery programs. The very latest model for SARS-CoV-2 is available at www.assaycentral.org.Competing Interest StatementSE is CEO and owner of Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc. DHF, KMZ, TRL, AP are employees of Collaborations Pharmaceuticals, Inc.View Full Text

pharmacology and toxicology↗

bioRxiv2020

Rapid isolation of potent SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies and protection in a small animal model

The development of countermeasures to prevent and treat COVID-19 is a global health priority. In under 7 weeks, we enrolled a cohort of SARS-CoV-2-recovered participants, developed neutralization assays to interrogate serum and monoclonal antibody responses, adapted our high throughput antibody isolation, production and characterization pipeline to rapidly screen over 1000 antigen-specific antibodies, and established an animal model to test protection. We report multiple highly potent neutralizing antibodies (nAbs) and show that passive transfer of a nAb provides protection against high-dose SARS-CoV-2 challenge in Syrian hamsters. The study suggests a role for nAbs in prophylaxis, and potentially therapy, of COVID-19. The nAbs define protective epitopes to guide vaccine design.

immunology↗