COVID-19 has shuttered countless local businesses, but scores of San Diego biotechs are busier than ever.
Life science companies across the county are racing to develop the vaccines, tests and treatments that we’ll need to return to some semblance of normalcy after the worst pandemic the world has faced in a century.
Among their contributions: The world’s second COVID-19 vaccine to enter clinical trials, the nation’s first authorized test to detect coronavirus proteins within 15 minutes, and a myriad of experimental treatments in development.
Some of this work has already arrived, such as Helix’s COVID-19 test, which detects the coronavirus in thousands of samples collected at San Diego County test sites. Other efforts are several months away, including CalciMedica’s anti-inflammatory drug meant to help keep COVID-19 patients off ventilators; the biotech believes the treatment could be approved by May or June 2021, depending on data from ongoing trials.
The Union-Tribune has chronicled the life science industry’s response to COVID-19 throughout the past year, but our stories don’t always capture the scale, scope and speed of the work. So here’s a series of graphics intended to do exactly that.
Vaccines
- Inovio Pharmaceuticals: In April, Inovio became the second company to begin a COVID-19 vaccine trial. The biotech’s vaccine, designed at its San Diego lab, uses DNA to teach the human body to target the coronavirus. Inovio has an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial in South Korea and a Phase 1 trial in the U.S.
- Arcturus Therapeutics: Arcturus is developing its vaccine in partnership with the government of Singapore. The vaccine is designed to make several copies of itself once inside the body, which could make it effective at low doses. The company has an ongoing Phase 1/2 trial in Singapore.
Tests
- Quidel: Developed the first coronavirus antigen test to get emergency use authorization. The rapid test, which detects viral proteins, returns results within 15 minutes. Pac-12 is using the test on student-athletes, and SDSU plans to use the test in underserved communities.
- Helix: Working with San Diego County to process thousands of samples from county testing sites. Average turn around time between 1 to 1.5 days.
- Diazyme: Produce two COVID-19 antibody tests, which can detect whether someone has been infected in the past. Past exposure might mean that you have some protection against the virus, but it’s still unclear how long that protection lasts and how strong it is. UC San Diego Health uses Diazyme’s tests.
Treatments
- CalciMedica: Testing whether an anti-inflammatory molecule helps COVID-19 patients recover sooner and stay off ventilators. The company’s drug is in a Phase 2 study of patients with severe COVID-19.
- PhaseBio: Testing whether a drug intended to treat heart disease and high blood pressure limits airway inflammation and tissue damage in COVID-19 patients in a Phase 2 study.
- Ligand Pharmaceuticals: Gilead uses Ligand technology to ister remdesivir, one of two emergency COVID-19 treatments authorized by the FDA and recently used to treat President Trump.
Note: Some trials combine phases. For example, a Phase 1/2 trial first tests the safety of various doses of a treatment before using the highest safe dose to test for signs the treatment works. While these hybrid trials can be more efficient, they don’t skimp on safety and efficacy standards. *La Jolla Pharmaceutical Company’s drug, Giapreza, has previously been approved to treat dangerously low blood pressure. The drug is being used to treat some critically ill COVID-19 patients in Europe and the United States.
Sources: Bio.org; U.S. Food and Drug istration; U-T research
