Bold Therapeutics, Uni of Ottawa to research anti-viral drug for Covid-19

Vancouver-based Bold Therapeutics is partnering with the University of Ottawa, Canada, to explore the potential efficacy of its anti-viral BOLD-100 against Covid-19.

This drug inhibits the stress-induced upregulation of GRP78, which has a role in host recognition, viral entry and viral replication.

Bold has been investigating this anti-viral in combination with chemotherapy and other oncology agents in gastrointestinal cancer; the company is focused on overcoming drug resistance in cancer.

University of Ottawa faculty professor of medicine and Canada Research molecular virology and intrinsic immunity chair Dr Marc-André Langlois noted: "We will be using our lentiviral-based infection system, derived from HIV, equipped with the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) spike, to study the impact of BOLD-100 on viral entry.

"There is an urgent need for novel antiviral agents effective against COVID-19 and related pathogens, and we look forward to advancing our understanding of the role that GRP78 plays in viral entry."