Philadelphia scientists get federal funding for development of new COVID-19 treatment

Hospital cases are now double what they were during spring COVID-19 peaks

• Hannah Chinn/WHYY
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  Hannah Chinn is PlanPhilly’s intern. She loves community storytelling, neighborhood equity, and public transit in all its forms. In the past, she’s written for NBC10, Willamette Week, Generocity, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. She lives in West Philly.

(Philadelphia) — Pennsylvania reported 9,556 new cases of COVID-19 Tuesday, for a statewide case total of 509,320 since the start of the pandemic. Hospital cases are now double what they were during spring COVID-19 peaks, with 6,026 individuals currently hospitalized. The commonwealth also reported 270 new deaths as of 11:59 p.m. Monday, for a total of 12,980 since the start of the pandemic.

Philadelphia reported 1,223 additional confirmed cases on Tuesday, for a total of 81,708 since the beginning of the pandemic. The city’s Department of Public Health confirmed six additional fatalities Tuesday, which brings the total number of deaths attributable to the virus in Philadelphia to 2,141.

Scientists funded to develop synthetic antibodies in COVID-19 treatment

Scientists from the Philadelphia-based Wistar Institute, the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Indiana University, INOVIO, and AstraZeneca have received a multi-million-dollar award from the federal government to develop special DNA-encoded monoclonal antibodies, or DMAbs, that will fight COVID-19.

The $37.6 million award comes from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) and the Joint Program Executive Office for Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Defense (JPEO-CBRND).

The synthetic DMAb antibodies act as genetic blueprints that tell the patient’s body to build its own highly specific antibodies against pathogens; in the case of COVID-19, it would help patients to produce antibodies that target parts of the SARS-CoV-2 virus. Scientists developing the technology claim it could be particularly useful due to rapid manufacturing ability, low cost of production, and temperature-stable storage and distribution.

“We are thrilled that DARPA and JPEO-CBRND have chosen Wistar to assemble this exceptional team to focus on advancing potential DMAb countermeasures for the SARS-CoV-2 crisis,” said David B. Weiner, vice president of Wistar and director of the Vaccine and Immunotherapy Center in a statement. “We have a strong track record of working together to advance DNA-based solutions into the clinic and look forward to advancing these first-in-human studies as a possible risk mitigation approach for COVID-19.”

The team of scientists are in late-stage studies of the synthetic DNA antibody treatment — they plan to design, enhance and scale SARS-CoV-2-specific DMAbs, then move them into laboratory and animal model studies. If successful, these studies will provide a basis for the first-in-human clinical trials.

“This COVID-19 pandemic presents a unique and immediate challenge to the world, one in which DNA treatments have the potential to move us to a future where COVID-19 is much more manageable,” said Pablo Tebas, M.D., a professor of infectious disease at Penn’s Perelman School of Medicine in a statement. “We are eager to build upon previous DMAb research and put it to the test against COVID-19.”

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WHYY is the leading public media station serving the Philadelphia region, including Delaware, South Jersey and Pennsylvania. This story originally appeared on WHYY.org.