Stellenbosch University hopes new med-tech can assist coronavirus fight

Stellenbosch University (SU) have announced that they are currently working on a project to develop human therapeutic proteins that could assist ailing coronavirus patients. 

Having teamed up with AzarGen Biotechnologies, a med-tech company focused on developing human therapeutic proteins, the university is conducting research and developing a synthetic pharmaceutical to be tested as a support agent for the treatment of Acute/Adult Respiratory Disease Syndrome (ARDS). The buzz emanating from the Western Cape tertiary institution of learning is extremely optimistic.

ARDS has been touted as one of the primary concerns medical practitioners are facing, as coronavirus-positive patients who also have the underlying illness are at a greater risk of becoming critically ill. 

SynSurf ‘strengthens poorly functioning lungs’ 

The “surfactant” (a compound that lowers the surface tension between two liquids) is called SynSurf, and it was initially developed for the treatment of neonatal Respiratory Distress Syndrome (nRDS), a condition where some premature babies struggle to breathe due to collapsed lung sacs, as well as treatment for acute lung injury in adults.

Members of SU’s medicine and health faculty believe the it could be used to assist in the fight against coronavirus. 

“Other than replacing and supporting either a deficiency in lung surfactant, as found in premature new-borns, SynSurf has the potential to strengthen poorly functioning lung surfactant, such as found in severe adult acute lung injury related to serious COVID-19 and other bacterial infections,” said SU’s Professor Johan Smith.

“The initial aim changed somewhat when the researchers developed an improved formulation which could compete with commercially available surfactants,” said Smith.

Cost-effective 

Smith said that the product curbs the expensive alternatives currently on the market. He said that because SynSurf is composed of purer components it is significantly more cost effective than commercially available surfactants that prohibit testing on adult patients. 

“Since commercially available surfactant is very expensive, its cost has to date precluded adult patients from being treated.”

“SynSurf is composed of pure chemical substances which overcomes the cost issue to a great extent and almost excludes batch-to-batch variation issues as one expects with mammalian (animal) derived formulations.”

“SynSurf in experimental animals has not shown any toxicity or adverse effects.”

Roll-out ‘high priority’ 

The product is still in the developmental phase, but developers have called for it to be urgently distributed to sick patients.

“We need to focus on getting SynSurf to the patient,” said AzarGen co-founder and CEO Dr Mauritz Venter.

“Regulatory oversight and resource allocation for all development aspects, including manufacturing, preclinical and clinical testing, for this project is now a high priority.”