On Aug. 25, 2021, Anixa Biosciences announced that a genomic variant analysis indicateed that its potential compounds may be even more effective against the Delta variant than the original wild type SARS-CoV-2. Anixa’s program in collaboration with European partner MolGenie, focused on identifying novel, small molecule inhibitors of Mpro, the main protease of the virus.

A key attribute of a successful therapeutic is the need to be effective against the prevailing variants that are circulating, especially if such emerging variants are more infectious. Since the authorized vaccines target a surface protein of the SARS-CoV-2, known as the spike protein, variants demonstrating variability in evading the vaccines are characterized by mutations in this protein. The prevailing variant of concern is known as the Delta variant.

While vaccination has proven to be an effective strategy to prevent Covid-19, the need exists for inexpensive, room-temperature stable, and orally bioavailable therapeutics for COVID-19. Reasons for this need include the large percentage of individuals that have chosen to remain unvaccinated, the logistics and expense of distributing the vaccines worldwide, the reduction in efficacy that is seen for certain variants, and the expected need to continuously require booster shots due to waning immunity.