Creating a new drug is normally a complex, time-consuming process. It doesn’t have to be.

During a pandemic, time is of the essence. The Calibr-Skaggs Institute for Innovative Medicines, the drug development division of Scripps Research, is leveraging a unique resource, its ReFRAME drug repurposing collection, to accelerate the path to effective antiviral treatments.

This library comprises over 14,000 compounds that have already been approved by the FDA for other diseases or have been extensively tested for human safety. Teams of researchers—with the help of cutting-edge, robotic screening technologies— are now identifying potential medicines that could either be given to people already exposed to the novel coronavirus, or as a preventative measure to stop infection.

By making these discoveries an open-access data resource for other institutions, Scripps Research is empowering scientists across the globe who are working toward this shared goal.

Toward safer steroids: Scientists devise process for making precision anti-inflammatory medicines 
The monoclonal antibody treatment will be tested in clinical trials, with the goal of reaching patients around the world, including in low- and middle-income countries. Read more

 

Antibodies co-invented by Scripps Research and IAVI to be developed as a potential COVID-19 therapy 
The monoclonal antibody treatment will be tested in clinical trials, with the goal of reaching patients around the world, including in low- and middle-income countries. Read more

 

Breaking COVID-19’s ‘clutch’ to stop its spread 
The virus that causes COVID-19 uses a clutch-like shifter to enable transcription of one RNA string into multiple proteins, and therein lies a vulnerability. A proof-of-concept study from Disney lab shows it’s possible to eliminate that shifter with an RNA-binding medicinal compound linked to a “trash this” signal. Read more

 

Scientists discover key element of strong antibody response to COVID-19, offering inspiration for vaccine design 
Findings of the new study support many vaccine strategies currently being used to tackle the new coronavirus. Read more

 

Scripps Research joins national effort to develop medical record analytics to improve COVID-19 patient outcomes
The rich data stored in electronic medical records may offer clues to better care for those diagnosed with coronavirus disease. Read more

 

Super-potent human antibodies protect against COVID-19 in animal tests
A team led by Scripps Research has discovered antibodies in the blood of recovered COVID-19 patients that provide powerful protection against the coronavirus that causes the disease. Read more

 

Potential Alzheimer’s drug also shows promise for COVID-19
In experiments on human ‘mini-brains,’ the drug preserved nerve connections that are lost to Alzheimer’s. The drug is also being evaluated for COVID-19, as it is known to inhibit viral activity. Read more

 

Clinical trial in COVID-19 patients tests anti-inflammatory drug developed 25 years ago at Scripps Research
Clinical trials are assessing whether the drug can temper the immune system’s response to coronavirus in the lungs, preventing the dangerous inflammation seen in patients with severe disease. Read more

 

Scripps Research expands international effort to rapidly repurpose existing drugs against COVID-19
An international research network centers around ReFRAME, the world’s leading collection of drugs known to be safe in humans. Read more

 

Scripps Research scientists leveraging ReFRAME drug repurposing collection against COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic
Calibr-Skaggs, the drug development division of Scripps Research, is leveraging its powerful ReFRAME drug repurposing collection to find antiviral drugs. Created with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the ReFRAME collection comprises over 14,000 compounds that have been approved by the FDA or extensively tested for human safety. Read more

 

Your computer can help scientists seek potential COVID-19 treatments
IBM's World Community Grid hosts Scripps Research project to virtually screen chemical compounds that might help fight COVID-19. Read more

Antibodies, Vaccines and the Current State of COVID-19
An extended conversation between Dr. Eric Topol, Director of the Scripps Research Translational Institute, and Professor Dennis Burton, Chair of the Department of Immunology and Microbiology at Scripps Research. Listen as they talk about antibody cocktail treatments, the mystery of “longhaul” COVID-19 symptoms and how close we are to developing a coronavirus vaccine.

PreSCRIPPSion Sound podcast version of the conversation
Read full transcript

 

Front Row Lecture Series: Designing Universal Vaccines for Influenza and Coronaviruses
As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic edges up on the onset of flu season, the need for effective vaccines for these viruses and others is abundantly clear. In this Front Row Lecture, Ian Wilson, DPhil, chair of Scripps Research's Department of Integrative Structural and Computational Biology, discusses advances in designing and developing universal vaccines that could either treat or protect people against all strains of a virus. He focuses on progress developing universal vaccines against influenza and how research on flu has paved the way for current efforts to find a pan-coronavirus vaccine.

 

Front Row Lecture Series: Leveraging the World’s Leading Drug Repurposing Collection Against COVID-19
In the weeks and months after the novel coronavirus emerged, Calibr-Skaggs at Scripps Research transformed into an international hub for COVID-19 drug discovery. In this Front Row lecture, Arnab Chatterjee, PhD, shares how Calibr-Skaggs scientists and their many collaborators are leveraging a unique resource—the ReFRAME drug repurposing collection—to help identify safe antiviral drugs that can be rapidly advanced to patients. Learn why Calibr-Skaggs was especially well poised to meet the COVID-19 challenge, and how current experiences will help prepare for the next pandemic.

 

Repurposing existing drugs for coronavirus: Scripps Research COVID-19 updates
Calibr-Skaggs, the drug development division of Scripps Research, is leveraging its powerful ReFRAME drug repurposing collection to find antiviral drugs for those who have been exposed to the novel coronavirus.

 

Scripps Research on '60 Minutes'
"60 Minutes" highlights how scientists are using ReFRAME, an extensive library of over 14,000 small-molecule drugs shown to be appropriate for direct use in humans, in the fight against the novel coronavirus, which causes COVID-19. Calibr-Skaggs—the drug development division of Scripps Research—compiled ReFRAME with support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Watch the full episode

 

Front Row Lecture Series: Advancing precision medicines to stop cancer, ALS, muscular dystrophy — and now, coronavirus
Chemist Matthew Disney, PhD, delivers the first pandemic edition of the popular Scripps Research Front Row lectures, via webinar. Watch as he describes his unique drug-discovery tools, now revealing new ways of attacking the RNA virus that causes COVID-19. Rather than targeting proteins, as most drugs do, Disney spent a decade developing an effective way to target RNAs involved in genetic diseases like ALS and cancer. That’s proving important as the novel coronavirus spreads globally.

 

Probing coronavirus genetics for new points of attack: Scripps Research COVID-19 updates
One scientist’s inventive tools for repairing toxic RNA now reveal ways to fight pandemic coronaviruses, which store their genetic information in RNA. Scripps Research, Florida chemist Matthew Disney, PhD, takes you inside his lab’s fight against COVID-19.