News out today read here: Cerecor and Myriad Genetics Announce that Levels of LIGHT, a Novel Cytokine, Were Highly Correlated with Disease Severity and Mortality in COVID-19 ARDS Biomarker Study
DOWNLOAD AS PDFMAY 26, 2020
- Patients hospitalized with COVID-19 had significantly elevated levels of the inflammatory cytokine LIGHT
- LIGHT was strongly linked with mortality (82%) in patients over 60 years of age
- Decreasing LIGHT levels using CERC-002 (anti-LIGHT mAb) may prevent cytokine storm induced severe ARDS and thereby reduce mortality and the need for ventilation
ROCKVILLE, Md., May 26, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Cerecor Inc. (NASDAQ: CERC) and Myriad Genetics Inc. (NASDAQ: MYGN) today announced that levels of novel cytokine, LIGHT, were highly correlated with disease severity and mortality in a COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) biomarker study. The biomarker study was conducted using the serum samples of 47 hospitalized COVID-19 patients and 30 healthy controls from Hackensack Meridian Health Network.
In April 2020, approximately 1,500 people in the United States died each day from COVID-19. The viral infection triggers a hyperactive immune response leading to cytokine storm and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS), which is a leading cause of death in patients who die of COVID-19. Although this hyperinflammatory process is poorly understood, the data from this study implicates the inflammatory cytokine, LIGHT, as a potential key driver of cytokine storm leading to ARDS and death.
LIGHT levels were significantly elevated in the serum of hospitalized patients with COVID-19 versus healthy controls (p value < 0.0001). The highest LIGHT levels were found in patients who required ventilator support, particularly in patients over 60. Importantly, the data demonstrated elevated LIGHT levels were also strongly linked with mortality (p=0.02).
Dr. David Perlin, Ph.D., chief scientific officer, senior vice president of the Center for Discovery and Innovation, and Professor of Medical Sciences at the Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine at Seton Hall University, commented “These data are compelling and demonstrate that the inflammatory cytokine LIGHT may play a key role in cytokine storm associated with COVID-19 ARDS that leads to increased morbidity and mortality. Reducing LIGHT levels might be a key to dampening the cytokine storm in these patients, preventing the need for ventilator support and reducing mortality.”
Dr. Garry Neil, M.D. chief scientific officer, Cerecor commented, “As a company, we recognized the impact of cytokine storm-induced ARDS and the need for treatment options for patients in this area of high unmet need. We remain focused on the CERC-002 clinical program and rapidly moving it forward for the treatment of cytokine storm induced ARDS.”
Role of LIGHT in Acute Inflammatory Response
LIGHT (homologous to Lymphotoxin, exhibits inducible expression and competes with HSV glycoprotein D for binding to herpesvirus entry mediator, a receptor expressed on T lymphocytes) is a cytokine with inflammatory actions encoded by the TNFSF14 gene. LIGHT has been shown to play a key role in the immune response to viral pneumonia. LIGHT plays an important role in regulating immune responses in the lung, gut and skin. It stimulates T Cell and B Cell response as well as induces the release of other cytokines such as IL1, IL6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF and GM-CSF.
CERC-002 (anti-LIGHT monoclonal antibody)
CERC-002 is a fully human monoclonal antibody with neutralizing action against LIGHT (TNFSF14), for treatment of children with Pediatric Crohn’s Disease. Cerecor holds an open IND with FDA and the drug is currently being studied in a Phase I clinical trial for patients with refractory severe Crohn’s disease, currently not recruiting due to COVID-19
