Arizona BioTech Company Successfully Completes Pre-Clinical Testing for Vaccine Alternative to Prevent COVID-19 Infection, Ready for Human Trials

PHOENIX, Nov. 23, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- Sotira, the Phoenix based biotech company, is pleased to announce the successful completion of the second phase of pre-clinical testing for its COVID-19 therapeutic and vaccine-alternative, KEPTIDE™ COVID, confirming that this cutting-edge molecular therapy completely prevented the entry of SARS-CoV2 in the lungs and kidney. As published in BioRxiv [https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.11.13.378257v1], this latest study was tested on humanized K18-hACE2 mice.  These mice are considered to be a gold-standard preclinical model to study COVID-19 because the mice express human ACE2, the receptor used by the virus to gain entry to cells. The Sotira scientific team also found that the intranasal treatment of KEPTIDE™, 30 minutes before viral administration, not only protects injuries in lungs and kidney, but also prevents acute death response in these humanized mice.

According to Dr. Avik Roy, who is the lead scientist at Sotira along with Dr. Gunnar Gottschalk, the most critical result from their recent work published in BioRxiv is, "KEPTIDE™ completely prevents the entry of SARS-CoV2 in lung and kidney cells." Sotira also collaborated with CDC-approved Coppe Laboratories to successfully complete their virus study in a BSL-3 environment.

Founded by James Keating, Sotira is a pharmaceutical and therapeutic company dedicated to developing cutting-edge molecular therapy to treat and prevent diseases. Led by its proprietary, patent-pending KEPTIDE™ technology, Sotira specializes in pharmaceutical preparations and substances for the treatment of infectious diseases, blood disorders, pain, inflammation, sepsis, alopecia, obesity, cognitive disorders, respiratory diseases, asthma, and of course the prevention of SARS-CoV2 (aka COVID-19).

So how does KEPTIDE™ COVID work? According to Dr. Gottschalk, "When the pandemic struck, we wanted to craft a targeted intervention that, unlike a vaccine or existing medical treatment, was specifically designed to prevent the virus from attaching to ACE-2 receptors in your mid-respiratory area." From this novel idea, the scientists created KEPTIDE™ COVID, which functions in the following way:

• KEPTIDE™ acts as a blocker that protects the receptor cells in the human body that serve as a gateway for COVID-19.
• KEPTIDE™ targets the cells in the human body most at risk for infection vs. targeting the virus which continues to mutate in unpredictable ways.
• The innovative design of KEPTIDE™ and its microscopic size prevent it from altering the normal function of these critical receptor cells.
• The ingredients of KEPTIDE™ are currently used in many therapeutic domains and animal studies have shown absolutely zero toxicity.
• It is equally effective for the most at-risk populations, including the elderly and the immunocompromised.
• This blocking mechanism prevents the spread and infection of the virus into the rest of the body.

About Sotira
Driven by science, Sotira is a Phoenix-based pharmaceutical and therapeutic company dedicated to developing cutting-edge molecular therapy to treat and prevent diseases. Led by our proprietary KEPTIDE™ technology Sotira specializes in pharmaceutical preparations and substances for the treatment of infectious diseases, blood disorders, pain, inflammation, sepsis, alopecia, obesity and cognitive disorders; treating respiratory diseases and asthma; as well as the prevention of SARS-CoV2 (aka COVID-19).

Media Contact: Grant Crone, [email protected]

SOURCE Sotira