AntiCancer Inc. Establishes Subsidiary CoronaCure to Develop Its Novel Therapeutic for COVID-19

SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- AntiCancer Inc. has announced that it has established a fully owned subsidiary company, CoronaCure LLC, in order to develop its novel therapeutic for COVID-19.

The therapeutic, methioninase, which degrades the amino acid methionine, can selectively starve the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes COVID-19, of this amino acid that the virus needs in high amounts in order to replicate. In addition, methioninase can starve the infected cells which are producing the coronavirus in the body, since these cells also have an elevated requirement for methionine. Perhaps most important, methioninase can reduce or eliminate the inflammation that results in cytokine storm that is the eventual lethal event of COVID-19.

Current drugs being developed and marketed for COVID-19 are repurposed drugs that were originally developed for dissimilar viruses or diseases not related to COVID-19; for example hydroxychloroquine, remdesivir and Avigan. None of these drugs target the complicated biology of the virus that causes COVID-19. Methioninase, in contrast, targets the specific biology of this virus and therefore has great potential as a therapeutic for COVID-19.

Qinghong Han, Principal Investigator for the development of methioninase for COVID-19, said, “AntiCancer is looking for partners for its CoronaCure subsidiary to quickly develop methioninase to make it available for COVID-19 patients throughout the world.”

“The FDA approval process should be quite straightforward since the drug is administered orally with no side effects,” said Dr. Han.

AntiCancer, founded in 1984, has world headquarters in San Diego, with subsidiaries in Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul. AntiCancer also develops novel cancer therapeutics; stem cells from the hair follicle for regenerative medicine for nerve and spinal injury; PDOX mouse models of cancer for individualized therapy and drug discovery; tumor-targeting bacteria; three-dimensional tumor culture for rapid identification of active drugs; and contract research using AntiCancer’s unique technologies.

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