PGX-processed yeast beta-glucans as an inhalable immunomodulating therapeutic for COVID-19 patients

While many people who acquire COVID-19 experience only minor symptoms or are completely asymptomatic, others (~20% of patients) experience a severe form of the disease associated with a phenomenon called a cytokine storm, an undesirable immune response that ultimately results in the deposition of fibrotic tissue in the lungs that causes the breathing difficulties and ultimately death in severe COVID-19 cases. There are to-date no therapeutics that have been demonstrated to relieve such cytokine storms, or avoid the resulting changes in the lung tissue, observed in severe COVID-19 patients. In this project, we seek to expand on preliminary results from an ongoing collaboration between the labs of Kjetil Ask and Todd Hoare at McMaster University and our industry partner Ceapro regarding the utility of yeast beta-glucan particles processed using Ceapro’s pressurized gas expanded liquids (PGX) technology for modulating the immune system in without any added drug. PGX processing both purifies and expands the raw yeast beta-glucan product to both remove components that can cause undesirable side-effects and reduce the density of the material to make the particles easier to inhale directly into the targeted lung tissue.

Faculty Supervisor:

Kjetil Ask;Todd Ryan Hoare

Student:

Safaa Naiel;Aaron Hayat;Nate Dowdall;Spencer Revill

Partner:

Ceapro

Discipline:

Sector:

Manufacturing

University:

McMaster University

Program: