Using GM-CSF as a Host Directed Therapeutic Against COVID-19

Summary

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly become a pandemic. COVID-19 poses a mortality risk of 3-7%, rising to 20% in older patients with co-morbidities. Of all infected patients, 15-20% will develop severe respiratory symptoms necessitating hospital admission. Around 5% of patients will require invasive mechanical ventilation, and up to 50% will die. Evidence in severe COVID-19 suggests that these patients experience cytokine storm and progressed rapidly with acute respiratory distress syndrome and eventual multi-organ failure. Early identification and immediate treatment of hyperinflammation is thus recommended to reduce mortality. Granulocyte Macrophage Colony Stimulating Factor (GM-CSF) has been shown to be a myelopoietic growth factor that has pleiotropic effects in promoting the differentiation of immature precursors into polymorphonuclear neutrophils, monocytes/ macrophages and dendritic cells, and also in controlling the function of fully mature myeloid cells. It plays an important role in priming monocytes for production of proinflammatory cytokines under TLR and NLR stimulation. It has a broad impact on the processes driving DC differentiation and affects DC effector function at the mature state. Importantly, GM-CSF plays a critical role in host defense and stimulating antiviral immunity. Detailed studies have also shown that GM-CSF is necessary for the maturation of alveolar macrophages from foetal monocytes and the maintenance of these cells in adulthood. The known toxicology, pharmacologic and safety data also support the use of Leukine® in hypoxic respiratory failure and ARDS due to COVID-19. This study aims to recruit patients with evidence of pneumonia and hypoxia who have increased risk for severe disease and need for mechanical ventilation. The overall hypothesis is that GM-CSF has antiviral immunity, can provide the stimulus to restore immune homeostasis in the lung with acute lung injury from COVID-19, and can promote lung repair mechanisms, which would lead to improvement in lung oxygenation parameters.

Timeline

Start

2020-06-02

Primary completion

2022-01-26

Completion

2022-02-04

Publications

• Background Cheung CY, Poon LL, Ng IH, Luk W, Sia SF, Wu MH, Chan KH, Yuen KY, Gordon S, Guan Y, Peiris JS. Cytokine responses in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-infected macrophages in vitro: possible relevance to pathogenesis. J Virol. 2005 Jun;79(12):7819-26. doi: 10.1128/JVI.79.12.7819-7826.2005.
• Background Kikkert M. Innate Immune Evasion by Human Respiratory RNA Viruses. J Innate Immun. 2020;12(1):4-20. doi: 10.1159/000503030. Epub 2019 Oct 14.
• Background Prompetchara E, Ketloy C, Palaga T. Immune responses in COVID-19 and potential vaccines: Lessons learned from SARS and MERS epidemic. Asian Pac J Allergy Immunol. 2020 Mar;38(1):1-9. doi: 10.12932/AP-200220-0772.
• Background Mehta P, McAuley DF, Brown M, Sanchez E, Tattersall RS, Manson JJ; HLH Across Speciality Collaboration, UK. COVID-19: consider cytokine storm syndromes and immunosuppression. Lancet. 2020 Mar 28;395(10229):1033-1034. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30628-0. Epub 2020 Mar 16. No abstract available.
• Background Chen N, Zhou M, Dong X, Qu J, Gong F, Han Y, Qiu Y, Wang J, Liu Y, Wei Y, Xia J, Yu T, Zhang X, Zhang L. Epidemiological and clinical characteristics of 99 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a descriptive study. Lancet. 2020 Feb 15;395(10223):507-513. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(20)30211-7. Epub 2020 Jan 30.
• Background Ruan Q, Yang K, Wang W, Jiang L, Song J. Correction to: Clinical predictors of mortality due to COVID-19 based on an analysis of data of 150 patients from Wuhan, China. Intensive Care Med. 2020 Jun;46(6):1294-1297. doi: 10.1007/s00134-020-06028-z.
• Background Park WY, Goodman RB, Steinberg KP, Ruzinski JT, Radella F 2nd, Park DR, Pugin J, Skerrett SJ, Hudson LD, Martin TR. Cytokine balance in the lungs of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Nov 15;164(10 Pt 1):1896-903. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.164.10.2104013.
• Background Fowler AA, Fisher BJ, Centor RM, Carchman RA. Development of the adult respiratory distress syndrome: progressive alteration of neutrophil chemotactic and secretory processes. Am J Pathol. 1984 Sep;116(3):427-35.
• Background Munford RS, Pugin J. Normal responses to injury prevent systemic inflammation and can be immunosuppressive. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2001 Feb;163(2):316-21. doi: 10.1164/ajrccm.163.2.2007102. No abstract available.
• Background Monneret G, Lepape A, Voirin N, Bohe J, Venet F, Debard AL, Thizy H, Bienvenu J, Gueyffier F, Vanhems P. Persisting low monocyte human leukocyte antigen-DR expression predicts mortality in septic shock. Intensive Care Med. 2006 Aug;32(8):1175-83. doi: 10.1007/s00134-006-0204-8. Epub 2006 Jun 2.
• Background Tiegs G, Barsig J, Matiba B, Uhlig S, Wendel A. Potentiation by granulocyte macrophage colony-stimulating factor of lipopolysaccharide toxicity in mice. J Clin Invest. 1994 Jun;93(6):2616-22. doi: 10.1172/JCI117274.
• Background Meisel C, Schefold JC, Pschowski R, Baumann T, Hetzger K, Gregor J, Weber-Carstens S, Hasper D, Keh D, Zuckermann H, Reinke P, Volk HD. Granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor to reverse sepsis-associated immunosuppression: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled multicenter trial. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2009 Oct 1;180(7):640-8. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200903-0363OC. Epub 2009 Jul 9.
• Background Toda H, Murata A, Oka Y, Uda K, Tanaka N, Ohashi I, Mori T, Matsuura N. Effect of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor on sepsis-induced organ injury in rats. Blood. 1994 May 15;83(10):2893-8.
• Background Guilliams M, De Kleer I, Henri S, Post S, Vanhoutte L, De Prijck S, Deswarte K, Malissen B, Hammad H, Lambrecht BN. Alveolar macrophages develop from fetal monocytes that differentiate into long-lived cells in the first week of life via GM-CSF. J Exp Med. 2013 Sep 23;210(10):1977-92. doi: 10.1084/jem.20131199. Epub 2013 Sep 16.
• Background Naessens T, Schepens B, Smet M, Pollard C, Van Hoecke L, De Beuckelaer A, Willart M, Lambrecht B, De Koker S, Saelens X, Grooten J. GM-CSF treatment prevents respiratory syncytial virus-induced pulmonary exacerbation responses in postallergic mice by stimulating alveolar macrophage maturation. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2016 Mar;137(3):700-9.e9. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2015.09.031. Epub 2015 Nov 10.
• Background van de Laar L, Saelens W, De Prijck S, Martens L, Scott CL, Van Isterdael G, Hoffmann E, Beyaert R, Saeys Y, Lambrecht BN, Guilliams M. Yolk Sac Macrophages, Fetal Liver, and Adult Monocytes Can Colonize an Empty Niche and Develop into Functional Tissue-Resident Macrophages. Immunity. 2016 Apr 19;44(4):755-68. doi: 10.1016/j.immuni.2016.02.017. Epub 2016 Mar 15.
• Background Presneill JJ, Harris T, Stewart AG, Cade JF, Wilson JW. A randomized phase II trial of granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor therapy in severe sepsis with respiratory dysfunction. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2002 Jul 15;166(2):138-43. doi: 10.1164/rccm.2009005.
• Background Paine R 3rd, Standiford TJ, Dechert RE, Moss M, Martin GS, Rosenberg AL, Thannickal VJ, Burnham EL, Brown MB, Hyzy RC. A randomized trial of recombinant human granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor for patients with acute lung injury. Crit Care Med. 2012 Jan;40(1):90-7. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0b013e31822d7bf0.
• Background Herold S, Hoegner K, Vadasz I, Gessler T, Wilhelm J, Mayer K, Morty RE, Walmrath HD, Seeger W, Lohmeyer J. Inhaled granulocyte/macrophage colony-stimulating factor as treatment of pneumonia-associated acute respiratory distress syndrome. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2014 Mar 1;189(5):609-11. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201311-2041LE. No abstract available.
• Background Tazawa R, Trapnell BC, Inoue Y, Arai T, Takada T, Nasuhara Y, Hizawa N, Kasahara Y, Tatsumi K, Hojo M, Ishii H, Yokoba M, Tanaka N, Yamaguchi E, Eda R, Tsuchihashi Y, Morimoto K, Akira M, Terada M, Otsuka J, Ebina M, Kaneko C, Nukiwa T, Krischer JP, Akazawa K, Nakata K. Inhaled granulocyte/macrophage-colony stimulating factor as therapy for pulmonary alveolar proteinosis. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2010 Jun 15;181(12):1345-54. doi: 10.1164/rccm.200906-0978OC. Epub 2010 Feb 18.
• Background Tazawa R, Ueda T, Abe M, Tatsumi K, Eda R, Kondoh S, Morimoto K, Tanaka T, Yamaguchi E, Takahashi A, Oda M, Ishii H, Izumi S, Sugiyama H, Nakagawa A, Tomii K, Suzuki M, Konno S, Ohkouchi S, Tode N, Handa T, Hirai T, Inoue Y, Arai T, Asakawa K, Sakagami T, Hashimoto A, Tanaka T, Takada T, Mikami A, Kitamura N, Nakata K. Inhaled GM-CSF for Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis. N Engl J Med. 2019 Sep 5;381(10):923-932. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa1816216.
• Background Xu Z, Shi L, Wang Y, Zhang J, Huang L, Zhang C, Liu S, Zhao P, Liu H, Zhu L, Tai Y, Bai C, Gao T, Song J, Xia P, Dong J, Zhao J, Wang FS. Pathological findings of COVID-19 associated with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Lancet Respir Med. 2020 Apr;8(4):420-422. doi: 10.1016/S2213-2600(20)30076-X. Epub 2020 Feb 18. No abstract available.
• Background Halstead ES, Umstead TM, Davies ML, Kawasawa YI, Silveyra P, Howyrlak J, Yang L, Guo W, Hu S, Hewage EK, Chroneos ZC. GM-CSF overexpression after influenza a virus infection prevents mortality and moderates M1-like airway monocyte/macrophage polarization. Respir Res. 2018 Jan 5;19(1):3. doi: 10.1186/s12931-017-0708-5.
• Background Umstead TM, Hewage EK, Mathewson M, Beaudoin S, Chroneos ZC, Wang M, Halstead ES. Lower respiratory tract delivery, airway clearance, and preclinical efficacy of inhaled GM-CSF in a postinfluenza pneumococcal pneumonia model. Am J Physiol Lung Cell Mol Physiol. 2020 Apr 1;318(4):L571-L579. doi: 10.1152/ajplung.00296.2019. Epub 2020 Jan 29.
• Background Rosler B, Herold S. Lung epithelial GM-CSF improves host defense function and epithelial repair in influenza virus pneumonia-a new therapeutic strategy? Mol Cell Pediatr. 2016 Dec;3(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s40348-016-0055-5. Epub 2016 Aug 1.
• Background Zhan Y, Lew AM, Chopin M. The Pleiotropic Effects of the GM-CSF Rheostat on Myeloid Cell Differentiation and Function: More Than a Numbers Game. Front Immunol. 2019 Nov 15;10:2679. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2019.02679. eCollection 2019.
• Background Schneider C, Nobs SP, Heer AK, Hirsch E, Penninger J, Siggs OM, Kopf M. Frontline Science: Coincidental null mutation of Csf2ralpha in a colony of PI3Kgamma-/- mice causes alveolar macrophage deficiency and fatal respiratory viral infection. J Leukoc Biol. 2017 Feb;101(2):367-376. doi: 10.1189/jlb.4HI0316-157R. Epub 2016 Jul 28.
• Background Unkel B, Hoegner K, Clausen BE, Lewe-Schlosser P, Bodner J, Gattenloehner S, Janssen H, Seeger W, Lohmeyer J, Herold S. Alveolar epithelial cells orchestrate DC function in murine viral pneumonia. J Clin Invest. 2012 Oct;122(10):3652-64. doi: 10.1172/JCI62139. Epub 2012 Sep 10.
• Background Huang FF, Barnes PF, Feng Y, Donis R, Chroneos ZC, Idell S, Allen T, Perez DR, Whitsett JA, Dunussi-Joannopoulos K, Shams H. GM-CSF in the lung protects against lethal influenza infection. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2011 Jul 15;184(2):259-68. doi: 10.1164/rccm.201012-2036OC. Epub 2011 Apr 7.
• Background Wu Z, McGoogan JM. Characteristics of and Important Lessons From the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak in China: Summary of a Report of 72 314 Cases From the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention. JAMA. 2020 Apr 7;323(13):1239-1242. doi: 10.1001/jama.2020.2648. No abstract available.

Drugs

Indications