UTHSCT Research Serves as Basis for International COVID-19 Treatment Studies

April 28, 2020

Research conducted, published and patented at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler has garnered attention from researchers across the globe for its potential to treat COVID-19. Though developed for treatment of other types of lung injury, including that due to influenza, the research provides a strong foundation for a possible treatment to protect against pulmonary injury caused by the novel coronavirus. This work was directed by Anna K. Kurdowska, PhD, MS.

Joining UT Health Science Center at Tyler nearly three decades ago, Dr. Kurdowska serves as the associate dean for research operations and compliance, the director of research, as well as a full professor in the department of cellular and molecular biology and also teaches in the Master of Science in Biotechnology program. Gaining international traction, her research focuses on the pathogenesis of acute lung injury/acute respiratory distress syndrome (ALI/ARDS), which can be triggered by COVID-19. ALI/ARDS is a serious condition characterized by severe impairment of lung function causing breathing difficulty, as well as fluid accumulation in the lungs due to loss of lung tissue integrity. With no effective treatments currently available, severe ALI/ARDS cases have mortality rates of up to 75% in COVID-19 ALI/ARDS. However, Dr. Kurdowska’s research could potentially lead to an answer in the fight against COVID-19.

Yielding a patent in 2018, Dr. Kurdowska discovered that the Bruton’s tyrosine kinase (Btk) protein serves as a master regulator of processes in the lungs and vasculature, which contribute to ALI/ARDS. Therapies targeting this protein, particularly the Btk inhibitor ibrutinib, proved highly effective in an ALI/ARDS pre-clinical model.

Given that the development of ALI/ARDS contributes substantively to the lethality of COVID-19, Dr. Kurdowska’s study supports the use of ibrutinib and other Btk inhibitors as treatments for patients with serious lung and systemic complications of this virus. Clinical trials are ongoing to test Btk inhibitors for severe COVID-19. Btk inhibitors provide hope by decreasing inflammation and preventing further lung injury while preserving the immune system’s ability to respond to the virus.

With Dr. Kurdowska’s groundbreaking research initiating the concept, AstraZeneca (Britain/Wales-based), BeiGene (China-based), National Cancer Institute (U.S.-based), American Society of Hematology (U.S.-based) and McKesson’s U.S. Oncology (U.S.-based) are all currently exploring Btk inhibitor use for clinical trial testing in patients with severe COVID-19 infection and ALI/ARDS.