Synthesis of Minnemod: GMP Grade Apilimod for COVID 19 Clinical Trials

Led by Ricardo Battaglino, PhD, professor and vice chair of research, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, this study’s goal is to generate Good Manufacturing Practices grade Apilimod (Minnemod) for future clinical trials. Other team members are Leslie Morse, DO, head of the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and Vadim Gurvich, PhD, director of ITDD Chemical Process and Development Core.

Apilimod has been tested as an anti-cancer drug and has been shown to have possible applications in the treatment of viral infections, including Ebola virus.

“We expect Apilimod to be 100-times more potent than other inhibitors such as hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine that have been tested for COVID-19 treatments,” said Battaglino.

This project is supported by the UMN Campus Public Health Officer's CO:VID (Collaborative Outcomes: Visionary Innovation & Discovery) grants program, which support University of Minnesota faculty to catalyze and energize small-scale research projects designed to address and mitigate the COVID-19 virus and its associated risks.