CARE  – Committed to the COVID-19 cause

In May 2023, the World Health Organisation announced that the COVID-19 pandemic “is now an established and ongoing health issue which no longer constitutes a public health emergency of international concern (PHEIC)”, so should we still CARE?

When CARE was initiated, the world was reacting to a rising pandemic which claimed many lives globally, disrupted economies, upset personal lives and so on, due to the pervasive SARS-CoV-2 virus. Over the course of the life of the CARE consortium, we have seen many variants which have challenged our approaches and had varying effects on the severity of the disease, and we have also seen the pandemic peak and thankfully decline through the introduction of vaccines and increasing immunity in the global population.

The decline has now reached a point where the WHO deems COVID-19 to be an “established and ongoing health issue” rather than a public health emergency of international concern. COVID-19 is now expected to manifest as mini-waves rather than seasonal surges, and furthermore, it has left a legacy in the form of long COVID which will need to be managed for the many people affected. Availability of more potent antivirals may assist in preventing or mitigating the long term consequences of SARS-CoV-2 infection.

In parallel with this reality, we are starting to see organisations who quickly mobilised resources to help address the COVID-19 challenge in 2020, reprioritise core business efforts. So – does CARE still have something to offer? The key point is that the WHO deems the current position to be an “established and ongoing health issue”. There are also certain populations (such as immunocompromised individuals) for whom there is still an unmet need for COVID-19 prophylaxis and treatment. We also know that the virus continues to mutate, which may alter effectiveness of current approved treatments.

The emergency may be over, but we still need to be prepared. That is why CARE continues to stay true to its commitment to pandemic preparedness and its expert academic and industry teams continue to move forward in their endeavours, generating and applying new knowledge while responding to the everchanging context.

In the remaining two years of the CARE consortium, we anticipate bringing one or more variant agnostic medicines to the clinic, optimise other potential broad spectrum novel treatments that can be used in future pandemics, as well as continuing to share our findings as we progress.

So, CARE does care, and continues to strive to make a meaningful contribution to the world’s defences against the SARS-CoV-2 virus, as well as pandemics of the future.

CARE presentation at 9^th ESWI Influenza conference in Valencia

Are you going to the 9th ESWI Influenza conference in Valencia next week? If so, you will have the opportunity to learn about a new SARS-CoV-2 inhibitor that is targeting the membrane protein. Do not hesitate to attend this presentation by CARE partner KU Leuven.

Title of the presentation: A novel SARS-CoV-2 Inhibitor targeting the membrane protein with activity in a SCID mouse model.

Presenter: Manon Laporte

Session name: SCS12 – Antiviral and immune therapy (Auditorium 1)

Date/time: Tuesday, 19 September 2023, 5pm CET

Published in Frontiers in Medicine: The application of data altruism in clinical research through empirical and legal analysis lenses

The CARE partner KU Leuven has worked with clinical research stakeholders to understand their views and gain insights into the legal ramifications of the recently introduced concept of data altruism. This novel mechanism was introduced by the recently adopted Data Governance Act (DGA), which, along with the proposal for a European Health Data Space (EHDS) promise to solve the existing challenges with respect to access to and (re)use of personal data for research. However, the new regulation with this novel mechanism might make things more complex. The DGA was adopted on 30 May 2022, and the law will enter into force on 23 September 2023.

Data altruism is understood as the voluntary sharing of personal and/or non-personal data by individuals or legal entities, without seeking a reward, for objectives of general interest, such as clinical research. New data altruism organizations will be acting as hubs for data, in a way similar to biobanks: on the one hand, they will be collecting data from individuals and companies, and on the other, they will be making the data available to other stakeholders.

Based on interviews with experts (including legal) throughout Europe, KU Leuven colleagues Teodora Lalova-Spinks, Janos Meszaros, and Prof. Isabelle Huys studied the novel mechanism. Their analysis indicates that while there is positive intent to make data sharing easier, there will likely be difficulties in the application of the act in the clinical research setting, given the interplay of the new rules with the GDPR. Further clarity from the legislator will be expected in this regard.

To learn more, click here: The application of data altruism in clinical research through empirical and legal analysis lenses

CARE External Newsletter – June 2023

The new issue of our biannual newsletter is out. In this edition, you can learn about the value CARE is bringing in the light of the changing status of the pandemic; some interesting research into Post-COVID Condition (aka Long COVID); a profile of CARE partner #Ai-biopharma, and a summary from our recent annual meeting.

Read the Newsletter here: CARE External Newsletter – June 2023

Published in PNAS: A broad-spectrum macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein

The CARE partner Utrecht University, in collaboration with other research groups, has developed a spike-targeting macrocyclic peptide that demonstrated inhibition of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Structural, functional and bioinformatic analysis revealed the details of a conserved quaternary binding site. Consistent with this, the cyclic peptide was able to neutralise pseudoviruses displaying the spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern as well as related sarbecoviruses.

This broadly neutralising peptide represents a pivotal first step towards development of spike-targeting molecules which can safeguard against emerging variants and future pandemics.

To learn more, click here: A broad-spectrum macrocyclic peptide inhibitor of the SARS-CoV-2 spike protein or access the preprint.