Undergraduate Research Day 2021

Permanent URI for this collectionhttp://hdl.handle.net/1903/27016

With students involved in so many research opportunities, Undergraduate Research Day provides the perfect opportunity for them to share their work with the campus community. Held each April, Undergraduate Research Day showcases current research, scholarship, and artistic endeavors.

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    Early Intervention with Repurposed Drugs to Treat COVID-19
    (2021) Bhalwani, Sofia; Siddiqui, Aamna; Matharu, Sagar; Srinivasan, Keerthana; Vellala, Sourabh; Arora, Amit; Mangat, Harpal; Sahi, Apanjit; Mangat, Harpal
    Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a single-stranded RNA virus responsible for the Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic. A hallmark of the virus is its spike protein, which interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE-2) receptor to invade the cell. After entry, SARS-Cov-2 hijacks existing cellular machinery to self-replicate. The virus binds to the ACE-2 receptors and activates bradykinin production. Early symptoms of COVID-19 include dry cough, sore throat, fever, chills, muscle aches, diarrhea, abdominal pain, shortness of breath, and loss of taste and smell. Repurposed drugs were used to treat COVID-19 early, preventing complications of a deadly cytokine storm that starts around day 10. This study evaluates the effectiveness of these repurposed drugs. Methods: A retrospective observational study to review the efficacy of treatment by measuring symptom resolution. Quantitative symptomatic data was observed for 26 patients (9 patients were 55+) with a lab-confirmed, positive SARS-CoV-2 test. Patients' symptoms improved rapidly in the first ten days. Symptom plot analysis over time with correlation coefficient for each medicine was examined. The medicines were lopinavir/ritonavir (Kaletra), bamlanvimab (monoclonal antibody), glycopyrrolate-formoterol (Bevespi), ciclesonide (Alvesco), famotidine (Pepcid), and diphenhydramine(Benadryl). How each medication works on Covid pathways is shown. Results: Out of 26 patients, eight (30.8%) were treated with lopinavir/ritonavir, bamlanvimab, glycopyrrolate-formoterol, ciclesonide, and diphenhydramine. Patients experienced a rapid improvement in COVID-19 symptoms within 3 - 5 days. The correlation coefficients for each medicine and the number of symptoms were determined. The more negative the faster the resolution of symptoms: Correlation coefficient for Kaletra -0.1407, Bevespi -0.227, Alvesco -0.2191, famotidine -0.1554 Conclusion: Early treatment, with a combination of the repurposed drugs Kaletra, Bevespi (glycopyrrolate-formoterol), Alvesco (ciclesonide), Benadryl (diphenhydramine), Monoclonal Antibodies (bamlanvimab), and Pepcid (famotidine)] interrupts the viral life cycle and prevents the progression into a cytokine storm.