Dornase Alfa for ARDS in Patients With Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2)

Summary

This study is designed to evaluate a potential mechanism by which a hyperactive immune response may contribute to death from SARS-CoV-2; by an excessive neutrophil-mediated deposition of cell-free DNA in neutrophil extracellular traps (NET). Excessive amounts of NETs can increase rigidity of mucus, clog airways, and be agents for the development of acute respiratory distress (Narasaraju et al., Am J Pathol. 2011). Many aspects of this pathway have been observed in severe SARS-CoV-2 (Zhang et al., Respiratory research. 2020). Dornase alfa (DNAse I; Pulmozyme (Genentech) is a nebulized drug that works by degrading cell-free DNA and thus promoting airway clearance and recovery. The investigators hypothesize that by thinning mucus and degrading these NETs further lung damage may be prevented and a reduction in time to recovery may occur. The two aims of the study are to see if inhaled/nebulized dornase alfa will improve clinical outcome measures in SARS-CoV-2 related acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and to see if dornase alfa reduces the amount of bronchoalveolar lavage and blood markers of NET activity. The study will recruit patients who are on mechanical ventilation for respiratory failure related to SARS-CoV-2 positive infection and have ARDS based upon Berlin criteria. The investigators aim to recruit 10-20 patients for this study.

Timeline

Start

2020-06-19

Primary completion

2020-12-31

Completion

2020-12-31

Publications

• Background Barnes BJ, Adrover JM, Baxter-Stoltzfus A, Borczuk A, Cools-Lartigue J, Crawford JM, Dassler-Plenker J, Guerci P, Huynh C, Knight JS, Loda M, Looney MR, McAllister F, Rayes R, Renaud S, Rousseau S, Salvatore S, Schwartz RE, Spicer JD, Yost CC, Weber A, Zuo Y, Egeblad M. Targeting potential drivers of COVID-19: Neutrophil extracellular traps. J Exp Med. 2020 Jun 1;217(6):e20200652. doi: 10.1084/jem.20200652.
• Background Narasaraju T, Yang E, Samy RP, Ng HH, Poh WP, Liew AA, Phoon MC, van Rooijen N, Chow VT. Excessive neutrophils and neutrophil extracellular traps contribute to acute lung injury of influenza pneumonitis. Am J Pathol. 2011 Jul;179(1):199-210. doi: 10.1016/j.ajpath.2011.03.013. Epub 2011 May 7.
• Background Zhang G, Zhang J, Wang B, Zhu X, Wang Q, Qiu S. Analysis of clinical characteristics and laboratory findings of 95 cases of 2019 novel coronavirus pneumonia in Wuhan, China: a retrospective analysis. Respir Res. 2020 Mar 26;21(1):74. doi: 10.1186/s12931-020-01338-8.
• Background Earhart AP, Holliday ZM, Hofmann HV, Schrum AG. Consideration of dornase alfa for the treatment of severe COVID-19 acute respiratory distress syndrome. New Microbes New Infect. 2020 Apr 30;35:100689. doi: 10.1016/j.nmni.2020.100689. eCollection 2020 May.
• Background Zuo Y, Yalavarthi S, Shi H, Gockman K, Zuo M, Madison JA, Blair C, Weber A, Barnes BJ, Egeblad M, Woods RJ, Kanthi Y, Knight JS. Neutrophil extracellular traps in COVID-19. JCI Insight. 2020 Jun 4;5(11):e138999. doi: 10.1172/jci.insight.138999.
• Holliday ZM, Earhart AP, Alnijoumi MM, Krvavac A, Allen LH, Schrum AG. Non-Randomized Trial of Dornase Alfa for Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome Secondary to Covid-19. Front Immunol. 2021 Oct 20;12:714833. doi: 10.3389/fimmu.2021.714833. eCollection 2021.

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