​Repairing lung tissue damaged by COVID-19

A Clemson University technology-based start-up company, Elastrin Therapeutics Inc., is working to develop technologies that could prevent and repair lung damage caused by COVID-19.

COVID-19 causes airway diseases such as acute lung injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome that damage lung tissue of young and old alike. These conditions often result in chronic immunological responses that induce acute crises and damage lung tissue over time. This already is a significant health risk in the United States. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease is the third leading cause of death in the U.S. Approximately 40-60% of all exacerbations are associated with viral infections.

One of the essential structural proteins in the lungs is elastin that provides balloon-like (elastic) properties that allow lung tissue to recoil during exhalation. Elastin rarely remodels and destruction of elastin in lungs is irreversible. Because older patients who have compromised lung function are more prone to lung damage, therapies are needed for such patients. This is especially relevant as the damage opens them to fatal episodes from infections such as coronavirus. While the immune system works to fight viral infection, we need to protect collateral lung damage, said Naren Vyavahare, co-founder of Elastrin Therapeutics and the Hunter endowed chair and professor of bioengineering at Clemson.

Vyahavare and Elastrin have developed nanoparticles with attached humanized elastin antibody that target only to degraded elastin matrix, sparing healthy tissue. As such, the nanoparticles can be targeted in fragmented elastin in disease states, making them effective for drug delivery. They are also working to develop associated drug therapies that could fill an unmet need for patients whose lung tissue could be severely damaged and who experience permanent disability.

With funding from the SCRA (formerly the South Carolina Redevelopment Authority), Elastrin and Vyavahare will advance this research and work to develop a targeted therapy to prevent the progression of acute lung injury and to protect healthy lung matrix. They’ll also test if they can repair lung tissue after the injury.

Vyahavare serves as the director of Bioengineering Center for Regeneration and Formation of Tissues (SC BioCRAFT) at Clemson University. This COBRE center is working to significantly augment collaborative efforts in South Carolina to recruit, train, and retain a critical mass of investigators with cross-disciplinary skills to collaborate effectively in the research area of regenerative medicine.

Read the full story from Clemson University here.