Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C1175175 (SARS)
 19,188 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

As of May 17th 2020, the novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused 307,395 deaths worldwide, out of 3,917,366 cases reported to the World Health Organization. No specific treatments for reducing mortality or morbidity are yet available. Deaths from COVID-19 will continue to rise globally until effective and appropriate treatments and/or vaccines are found. In search of effective treatments, the global medical, scientific, pharma and funding communities have rapidly initiated over 500 COVID-19 clinical trials on a range of antiviral drug regimens and repurposed drugs in various combinations. A paradigm shift is underway from the current focus of drug development targeting the pathogen, to advancing cellular Host-Directed Therapies (HDTs) for tackling the aberrant host immune and inflammatory responses which underlie the pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 and high COVID-19 mortality rates. We focus this editorial specifically on the background to, and the rationale for, the use and evaluation of mesenchymal stromal (Stem) cells (MSCs) in treatment trials of patients with severe COVID-19 disease. Currently, the ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO Clinical Trials Registry Platform (WHO ICTRP) report a combined 28 trials exploring the potential of MSCs or their products for treatment of COVID-19. MSCs should also be trialed for treatment of other circulating WHO priority Blueprint pathogens such as MERS-CoV which causes upto 34% mortality rates. It's about time funding agencies invested more into development MSCs per se, and also for a range of other HDTs, in combination with other therapeutic interventions. MSC therapy could turn out to be an important contribution to bringing an end to the high COVID-19 death rates and preventing long-term functional disability in those who survive disease.
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PMID:Reducing mortality and morbidity in patients with severe COVID-19 disease by advancing ongoing trials of Mesenchymal Stromal (stem) Cell (MSC) therapy - Achieving global consensus and visibility for cellular host-directed therapies. 3242 38

The severe acute respiratory syndrome-novel coronavirus mediated COVID-19 has been recently declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization. The primary target of the SARS-CoV-2 virus is the human lungs governed by the ACE-2 receptor of epithelial type II cells/endothelial cells, which promote modulation of the immune response of host cells through generating cytokine storm, inflammation, severe pneumonia symptoms, and secondary complications such as acute respiratory distress syndrome. Although numerous antiviral and anti-parasitic drugs are under clinical trials to combat this pandemic, to date, neither a specific treatment nor any successful vaccine has been established, urging researchers to identify any potential candidate for combating the disease. Mesenchymal stem cells own self-renewal, differentiation, homing, immunomodulation and remains unaffected by the coronavirus on the virtue of the absence of ACE-2 receptors, indicating that MSC's could be used an ameliorative approach for COVID-19. MSCs have shown to combat the disease via various pathways such as repairing the lung epithelial and endothelial cells, reducing hyperimmune response, maintaining the renin-angiotensin system. Although MSCs-based treatment approaches for COVID-19 is still under consideration with limited data, many human clinical trials of MSC's has been initiated to explore their potential for COVID 19 treatment. The current review summarizes and emphasizes on how MSC's modulate the immune response, can repair the lungs from the impact of the virus, and various aspects of MSC's as a remedial source for COVID-19, to provide better insight for biomedical researchers and for those who are fascinated by stem cells as a therapeutic approach.
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PMID:Mesenchymal stem cell immunomodulation and regeneration therapeutics as an ameliorative approach for COVID-19 pandemics. 3304 79