Repurposing FDA-Approved Drugs for Treatment of 2019-nCoV-induced Disease
Lead Research Organisation:
Queen's University Belfast
Department Name: UNLISTED
Abstract
SARS/CoV-2 was recently identified as the cause of the outbreak of pneumonia first detected in Wuhan, China in December 2019. Current efforts are focused on containment and separation of infected individuals, with no registered drugs for the treatment of COVID-19. Hence, drugs that have been registered for the treatment of other coronavirus conditions might be used (off-label) in an attempt to save the lives of COVID-19 patients. As development of vaccines and drugs for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infection have been brought to priority status by WHO and governments, numerous drug studies are moving forward. Drug repurposing is defined as the application of known drugs to new indications. This approach is attractive, as repurposed drugs have already passed toxicity trials. Therefore, we aim to screen clinically approved drugs either as single or pair combinations for the therapeutic development of antiviral and anti-inflammatory agents to control and treat COVID-19 disease. We strongly anticipate the data generated will identify novel single or synergistic drug pairs, lead to detailed pre-clinical evaluation and provide the impetus for rapid progress to clinical trials or compassionate use in extreme cases.
Technical Summary
This COVID-19 Rapid Response award is jointly funded (50:50) between the Medical Research Council and the National Institute for Health Research. The figure displayed is the total award amount of the two funders combined, with each partner contributing equally towards the project.
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) originating in Wuhan, China has reached pandemic status and causes a disease termed COVID-19. Therapeutics and vaccines are urgently needed. The normal pace of new drug development is incompatible with strategies to rapidly combat COVID-19. Drug combinations with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity will likely be essential to treat infected patients, as acute respiratory virus-induced disease is commonly mediated by inflammatory responses to infection.
An alternative strategy to rapidly identify therapeutics to combat SARS-CoV-2 is drug repurposing. As the drugs are already FDA-approved, it is cost-effective and time-efficient. To this end, we will exploit MuSIC (multiplex screening of interacting compounds) screening of a unique library consisting of ~1,000 drugs to identify single and synergistic interacting compounds that have either SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity or anti-inflammatory activities, with limited/no toxicities. This library includes FDA-approved compounds and antiviral drugs that showed activity against other cornoviruses (SARS-CoV & MERS-CoV) (1). Drug candidates will be validated using SARS-CoV-2-infection of well-differentiated primary human airway epithelial cell cultures (WD-PAECs), which are excellent surrogates of human airway epithelium. WD-PAECs represent the most relevant pre-clinical translational model for screening therapeutic drugs for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 uses that same receptor/entry factors as SARS-CoV (2), which infects WD-PAEC cultures. Our findings will identify candidate drugs for treating COVID-19 patients, which can quickly enter clinical trials or be employed for compassionate use, especially in the case of viral diseases lacking specific treatments.
(1): Mani et al. J Young Pharm, 2019; 11(2) : 117-121
(2): Hoffmann et al. bioRxiv https:
A novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) originating in Wuhan, China has reached pandemic status and causes a disease termed COVID-19. Therapeutics and vaccines are urgently needed. The normal pace of new drug development is incompatible with strategies to rapidly combat COVID-19. Drug combinations with antiviral and anti-inflammatory activity will likely be essential to treat infected patients, as acute respiratory virus-induced disease is commonly mediated by inflammatory responses to infection.
An alternative strategy to rapidly identify therapeutics to combat SARS-CoV-2 is drug repurposing. As the drugs are already FDA-approved, it is cost-effective and time-efficient. To this end, we will exploit MuSIC (multiplex screening of interacting compounds) screening of a unique library consisting of ~1,000 drugs to identify single and synergistic interacting compounds that have either SARS-CoV-2 antiviral activity or anti-inflammatory activities, with limited/no toxicities. This library includes FDA-approved compounds and antiviral drugs that showed activity against other cornoviruses (SARS-CoV & MERS-CoV) (1). Drug candidates will be validated using SARS-CoV-2-infection of well-differentiated primary human airway epithelial cell cultures (WD-PAECs), which are excellent surrogates of human airway epithelium. WD-PAECs represent the most relevant pre-clinical translational model for screening therapeutic drugs for COVID-19. SARS-CoV-2 uses that same receptor/entry factors as SARS-CoV (2), which infects WD-PAEC cultures. Our findings will identify candidate drugs for treating COVID-19 patients, which can quickly enter clinical trials or be employed for compassionate use, especially in the case of viral diseases lacking specific treatments.
(1): Mani et al. J Young Pharm, 2019; 11(2) : 117-121
(2): Hoffmann et al. bioRxiv https:
People |
ORCID iD |
Publications
Broadbent L
(2022)
An endogenously activated antiviral state restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection in differentiated primary airway epithelial cells.
in PloS one
Cantoni D
(2022)
Evolutionary remodelling of N-terminal domain loops fine-tunes SARS-CoV-2 spike.
in EMBO reports
| Description | Repurposing FDA-approved drugs for treatment of 2019-nCoV-induced disease |
| Amount | £208,070 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | COM/5613/20 |
| Organisation | Northern Ireland HSC R&D |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 10/2020 |
| End | 09/2021 |
| Description | Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease |
| Amount | £1,602,833 (GBP) |
| Funding ID | MR/W021641/1 |
| Organisation | Medical Research Council (MRC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 04/2022 |
| End | 03/2024 |
| Title | High throughput screening (HTS) and validation immune modulation assays for single drugs against SARS-CoV-2 |
| Description | We have established HTS and validation assays for drugs that modulate innate immune responses to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Specifically, these assay are designed to identify drugs that enhanced interferon lambda responses or diminish IL-6 responses induced following SARS-CoV-2 infection in cell lines in vitro. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | To date, we have identified 50 promising hits using these protocols. These hits are the subject of ongoing investigations. |
| Title | High throughput screening and validation antiviral assays for single and combination drugs against SARS-CoV-2 |
| Description | We have established robust protocols for high throughput screening and validation of single and combination drugs for antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2021 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | These protocols have resulted in the identification of 7 promising single drug hits and 6 combination drug hits. |
| Title | Isolation and stock production of SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolates |
| Description | To facilitate the drug-screening component of this project, we have established robust protocols for the isolation of SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolates and stock generation therefrom. We have also established robust virus titration protocols. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | We have isolated and produced stocks of over 20 SARS-CoV-2 clinical isolates from patient material, including variants of concern. These well characterised SARS-CoV-2 stocks will provide essential material with which to screen and validate antiviral and immune modulating drugs. |
| Title | SARS-CoV-2 infection model in well-differentiated primary human airway epithelial cell cultures |
| Description | We have established a model of SARS-CoV-2 infection based on well-differentiated primary human airway epithelial cell cultures (WD-PAECs). We demonstrated that virus infectivity and growth kinetics in this model is donor- and virus variant-specific. Furthermore, we have demonstrated that SARS-CoV-2 infection of WD-PAECs results in a "chronic" infection (> 6 days) without destroying the cultures, which makes the model ideal for screening anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs in a "therapeutic" setting. |
| Type Of Material | Technology assay or reagent |
| Year Produced | 2020 |
| Provided To Others? | No |
| Impact | This development provides the basis for a clinically-relevant model in vitro model to screen anti-SARS-CoV-2 drugs under therapeutic conditions. The model also provides the basis for deep molecular exploration of SARS-CoV-2/host interactions in human airway epithelium with a view to understanding the molecular basis for SARS-CoV-2 immunopathogenesis. |
| Description | MRC DPFS project entitled "Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease." |
| Organisation | University of Liverpool |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Arising from our drug repurposing project, we were successful in a application the MRC for a DPFS project, which will allow us to extend our screening of combinations of repurposed drug for antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. This project is led by Prof. Ultan Power of QUB. It has resulted in the establishment of a project consortium with colleagues in University of Liverpool (Profs. James Stewart and Andrew Owen) and University of Oxford (Prof. Miles Carroll). As well as leading the project, Queen's University Belfast will exploit our comprehensive platform ranging from in vitro models for high throughput screening of repurposed drug combinations to confirmation of the therapeutic potential of the drug combinations in our novel therapeutic model based on SARS-CoV-2 infection of well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our colleagues in University of Liverpool will bring expertise in pharmacometrics and pre-clinical in vivo models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which are essential to justify progression of identified drug combinations to clinical trials. Our colleague in University of Oxford will bring expertise in studying the development of antiviral drug resistance using a panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the principal variants of concern described since the start of the pandemic. |
| Impact | This project will commence in April 2022. As such, there are no outputs to report yet. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | MRC DPFS project entitled "Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease." |
| Organisation | University of Oxford |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Arising from our drug repurposing project, we were successful in a application the MRC for a DPFS project, which will allow us to extend our screening of combinations of repurposed drug for antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2. This project is led by Prof. Ultan Power of QUB. It has resulted in the establishment of a project consortium with colleagues in University of Liverpool (Profs. James Stewart and Andrew Owen) and University of Oxford (Prof. Miles Carroll). As well as leading the project, Queen's University Belfast will exploit our comprehensive platform ranging from in vitro models for high throughput screening of repurposed drug combinations to confirmation of the therapeutic potential of the drug combinations in our novel therapeutic model based on SARS-CoV-2 infection of well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Our colleagues in University of Liverpool will bring expertise in pharmacometrics and pre-clinical in vivo models of SARS-CoV-2 infection, which are essential to justify progression of identified drug combinations to clinical trials. Our colleague in University of Oxford will bring expertise in studying the development of antiviral drug resistance using a panel of SARS-CoV-2 variants, including the principal variants of concern described since the start of the pandemic. |
| Impact | This project will commence in April 2022. As such, there are no outputs to report yet. |
| Start Year | 2022 |
| Description | Medical Research Council - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research |
| Organisation | University of Glasgow |
| Department | MRC - University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | We established collaboration with Dr. Joe Grove to explore evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 NTD of the spike protein in work led by Dr. Grove. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Dr. Joe Grove of the VRC led this work to explore evolution of the SARS-CoV-2 NTD of the spike protein. |
| Impact | A publication describing the work of this collaboration is under review in EMBO reports. |
| Start Year | 2020 |
| Title | Antiviral use of Azatadine Maleate against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 |
| Description | Azatadine Maleate is known for use as an antihistamine. The inventors have identified anti-viral properties for this known composition; in particular with respect to SARS-CoV-2. The inventors have further identified that when used in combination with Remdesivir, the anti-viral effect of the combination is significantly improved when compared to each therapeutic being used alone. The inventors propose that Azatadine is a new atni-viral treatment for COVID-19, both when used alone or in combination therapies with Remdesivir. |
| IP Reference | PCT/GB2022/050695 |
| Protection | Patent / Patent application |
| Year Protection Granted | |
| Licensed | No |
| Impact | On the recommendation of the MHRA and the UK Antivirals Taskforce, we are completing pre-clinical testing of azatidine in animal models. The outcome of these studies will determine whether the drug proceeds to clinical trials. Initiation of clinical trials will activate discussions with pharmaceutical companies with a view to partnership or sublicensing for further clinical development and commercialization. |
| Title | Identification of a novel antiviral compound against SARS-CoV-2 |
| Description | From our drug repurposing screening project we have identified a drug with potent antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2. In addition, this drug synergises with remdesivir, one of the standard drugs currently used to treat COVID-19 patients, enhancing the potency of both drugs compared to either drug alone. This drug is the subject of a patent submission and a manuscript describing its identification and antiviral activities. Following discussions with the MHRA and the UK Antivirals Taskforce, it is clear that further progression of this drug into clinical trials requires confirmation of antiviral efficacy in appropriate animal models. We are actively seeking funding support to undertake these in vivo studies. |
| Type | Therapeutic Intervention - Drug |
| Current Stage Of Development | Refinement. Non-clinical |
| Year Development Stage Completed | 2021 |
| Development Status | Actively seeking support |
| Impact | The identification of this molecule validated our entire project in terms of the potential to repurpose existing drugs to treat COVID-19, which included establishing an entire platform for antiviral drug screening in vitro, ranging from high throughput screening in susceptible cell lines to novel therapeutic models based on well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures. |
| Title | Identification of novel drug combinations with antiviral activities against SARS-CoV-2 |
| Description | As part of our drug repurposing project, we identified 3 2-drug combinations that have potent antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2 in our in vitro models. Interestingly, none of these drugs have antiviral activity when used alone. Importantly, all combinations demonstrated synergistic antiviral activity when combined with remdesivir, one of the currently prescribed antivirals used to treat COVID-19 patients. We are currently exploring the IP potential of these drug combinations. It is clear from discussions with the MHRA and the UK Antivirals Taskforce that demonstrating efficacy in appropriate in vivo models will be a pre-requisite for progressing to clinical trials. We are also actively seeking funding to allow us to undertake this in vivo work. |
| Type | Therapeutic Intervention - Drug |
| Current Stage Of Development | Initial development |
| Year Development Stage Completed | 2021 |
| Development Status | Actively seeking support |
| Impact | The identification of these drug combinations validated our entire project in terms of the potential to repurpose existing drugs to treat COVID-19, which included establishing an entire platform for combination antiviral drug screening in vitro, ranging from high throughput screening in susceptible cell lines to novel therapeutic models based on well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures. |
| Description | Academy of Medical Sciences/British Society for Immunology COVID-19 Expert Taskforce member |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Power was invited to become a member of the Academy of Medical Sciences/British Society for Immunology COVID-19 Expert Taskforce, which was established to provide expert advice to the general public, policymakers, professional practitioners, patient groups, among others, on the consequences of SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 in relation to immunological aspects, including immunity to infection, vaccines, therapeutics, age-related susceptibility, and long COVID. The taskforce was responsible for producing 4 publicly available expert opinion pieces and several responses to requests for expert advice from national and devolved parliamentarians and other bodies. The taskforce was also instrumental in the establishment of the UK Coronavirus Immunology Consortium (UK-CIC) (https://www.uk-cic.org/). |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021,2022 |
| Description | British Society for Immunology SARS-CoV-2 webinar - SARS-CoV-2 and airway epithelium - the first frontier! |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Power was invited to present a webinar about SARS-CoV-2, the virus and the role of the airway epithelium in viral pathogenesis, as part of the British Society for Immunology webinar series on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020 |
| URL | https://www.immunology.org/coronavirus/connect-coronavirus-webinars/bsi-webinar-sars-cov-2-and-airwa... |
| Description | Final year undergraduate project 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Undergraduate students |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Power and Dr. Bamford supervised an undergraduate student for her final year research project. This project was in part used for our publication on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in vitro. The student also won 1st prize for entire year due to her academic grades and was successful in securing a competitive PhD studentship. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Interview about SARS-CoV-2 drug research with BBC Northern Ireland with Prof. Power |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with BBC Northern Ireland about the importance of investment in SARS-CoV-2 research, including drugs and vaccines. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://fb.watch/bLnCnDd4YE/ |
| Description | Interview with Prof. Power on UTV about SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and our research to help understand and treat it. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Interview with UTV describing our research efforts to find drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.itv.com/news/utv/2022-01-19/inside-the-belfast-lab-researching-treatments-to-beat-covid-... |
| Description | Interview with Prof. Power on local NvTV Belfast on SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Extended interview with NvTV, Belfast on the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 pandemic and the research efforts of my lab in trying to deal with. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.nvtv.co.uk/shows/behind-the-science-dr-ultan-power/ |
| Description | Medical Schools Council report "Responding to a pandemic UK universities' research into COVID-19" highlighting our drug repurposing project. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A magazine, newsletter or online publication |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Our project on repurposing drugs to treat SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 was featured in the 2021 Medicals Schools Council report "Responding to a pandemic UK universities' research into COVID-19". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.medschools.ac.uk/media/2923/responding-to-a-pandemic-uk-universities-response-to-covid-1... |
| Description | Northern Ireland Science Festival 2021 - Spotlight on COVID-19 Research at WWIEM, QUB - Prof. U. Power, Dr C. Bamford & Dr L. Broadbent |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A broadcast e.g. TV/radio/film/podcast (other than news/press) |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | Video highlighting virology research in the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, including our SARS-CoV-2 research projects. This was recorded as part of the Northern Ireland Science Festival 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Ep9GSTAZc |
| Description | Participation at the Medicines Repurposing workshop, Sheffield Institute for Neuroscience (SITraN), UK |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Workshop rational: Creation of a National Platform to act as an expert resource to support scientists in their efforts to repurpose medicines to address unmet need, faster, and more effectively. • A national group is more likely to drive change and could function as a National Translational Research Office • Utilising an existing infrastructure supports rapid implementation • Should be virtual and versatile with a small project office at the centre (Project Manager, Business Developer, Communications, Contracts and Finance) resourced by dedicated staff/secondments and with a larger virtual network of volunteer experts providing as directed technical advice • This will provide value over and above a basic repurposing toolkit • Repurposed medicine ideas to be taken forward, if successful, should have clear public health benefit and strong patient support. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Poster presentation at the Annual Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Poster presentation entitled "Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease." Olivier Touzelet1, Ahlam Ali1, May Al Adwan2, Jo Sharp2, Jack Mellors3, Ken Mills4, Andrew Owen2, James Stewart2, Miles Carroll4, and Ultan F. Power1 1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK 2 University of Liverpool, Institute of Translational Medicine, Liverpool, UK 3 High Consequence Emerging Viruses Group, Pandemic Sciences Institute &Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK 4 Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2023.html |
| Description | Poster presentation at the International Conference on Livestock, Companion Animals and Wildlife |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A poster presentation entitled "Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease" Authors: Olivier Touzelet1, Ahlam Ali1, May Al Adwan2, Jo Sharp2, Jack Mellors3, Ken Mills4, Andrew Owen2, James Stewart2, Miles Carroll4, and Ultan F. Power1 1 Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK 2 University of Liverpool, Institute of Translational Medicine, Liverpool, UK 3 High Consequence Emerging Viruses Group, Pandemic Sciences Institute &Wellcome Centre for Human Genetics, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, UK 4 Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| URL | https://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/international-conference-livestock-companion-animals-wildlife-coronaviru... |
| Description | Presentation at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Lindsay Broadbent represented the project with her presentation entitled "Differential infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in primary airway epithelium derived from different donors." at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2021. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research symposium 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Lindsay Broadbent represented the project by presenting her work entitled "An endogenously activated antiviral state restricts SARS-CoV-2 infection in differentiated primary airway epithelial cells", for which she won 2nd poster prize. This work is the subject of an manuscript that has been submitted for publication. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Presentation at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research symposium 2023 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Local |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Dr. Ahlam Ali, a postdoctoral research associate on this project presented a poster at the annual Wellcome Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine Postdoctoral Research Symposium 2023 entitled "Repurposing approved drugs as potent antiviral combinations to treat COVID-19 disease" |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2023 |
| Description | Presentation of outcomes of our project at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Oral presentation of our work at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2022, with a talk entitled "Drug repurposing identifies Azatadine-Dimaleate as a potent antiviral against SARS-CoV-2." Authors: Ahlam Ali1, David Courtney2, Lindsay Broadbent22, Connor G. G. Bamford2, Sheerien Manzoor2, Olivier Touzelet22, Conall McCaughey3, Ken I. Mills1, and Ultan F. Power2 1Patrick G Johnston Centre for Cancer Research, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK 2Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine, School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK. 3Regional Virology Laboratory, Belfast Trust, Belfast, Northern Ireland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://microbiologysociety.org/event/annual-conference/annual-conference-2022.html |
| Description | Presentation of some outcomes of our project relating to SARS-CoV-2 evolution at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2021. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of our work by Dr. Connor Bamford at the Microbiology Society annual conference 2021 on the evolution of SARS-CoV-2 in monolayer cells vs well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell cultures as part of the establishment of our in vitro models for screening of the antiviral activities of repurposed drugs against SARS-CoV-2. The presentation was entitled "Convergent Evolution of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Amino Terminal Domain (NTD) Variants Arising During Passage In Vitro and In Vivo". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://microbiologysociety.org/event/full-events-listing/annual-conference-online-2021.html |
| Description | Presentation of some outcomes of our project relating to SARS-CoV-2 infectivity of primary airway epithelium at the Microbiology Society Annual Conference 2021. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Presentation of elements of our project relating to the establishment of our well-differentiated primary airway epithelial cell culture model of SARS-CoV-2 infection at the Microbiology Society annual conference 2021. The talk was entitled "Differential infectivity of SARS-CoV-2 in primary airway epithelium derived from different donors". |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://microbiologysociety.org/event/full-events-listing/annual-conference-online-2021.html |
| Description | Prof. Ultan Power - interviews with regional, national and international media |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A press release, press conference or response to a media enquiry/interview |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Media (as a channel to the public) |
| Results and Impact | Prof. Power has given hundreds of interviews to TV, radio, press media and online social media in Northern Ireland, UK, Ireland, Europe and globally since the start of the pandemic, some of which focused on this project. I have presented public-facing videos for Queen's University Belfast and the Northern Ireland Science Festival outlining the goals of this project. One example is presented in the URL below. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2020,2021 |
| URL | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K0Ep9GSTAZc |
| Description | Professor Power invited to talk at Science and Stormont 2022 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | Professor Power was invited to talk at the Science and Stormont 2022 event entitled 'Respiratory virus pandemics and endemics: are we ready?'. Designed to foster close relations with policymakers and key stakeholders, Science and Stormont is organised by the Royal Society of Chemistry, on behalf of, and in cooperation with, the Northern Ireland science and engineering community. The Royal Society of Chemistry's tenth annual Science and Stormont event will be held in the Parliament Buildings, Stormont, Belfast. This year's theme was be Building our future: Research and innovation in Northern Ireland |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2022 |
| URL | https://www.rsc.org/events/detail/74555/science-and-stormont-2022 |
| Description | Project presentation at the ELRIG Research and Innovation meeting - Innovations in COVID-19 Drug Discovery 2021 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | The conference discussed how the most promising new biology is being identified and explore emerging technologies and innovations to enable this science to be translated into successful therapeutics. The four scientific sessions addressed different aspects of innovation in biology and discovery technologies, including identification of novel drug targets for the discovery pipeline. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| URL | https://www.elrig.org/portfolio/research-innovation-2021/ |
| Description | Project presentation to Minister Diane Dodds, NI Minister for the Economy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | The drug repurposing project was presented to Mrs Diane Dodds, Minister for the Economy in the Northern Ireland Assembly. This was as part of an information gathering event by Minister Dodds. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |
| Description | Project presentation to the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Our facilities for undertaking the drug repurposing project for COVID-19, along with an overview of the project, were presented to the Rt Hon Brandon Lewis CBE, Secretary of State for Northern Ireland. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2021 |