Brd2 inhibitor ABBV-744 inhibits SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian Hamsters

We tested if Brd2 inhibitor ABBV-744 could reduce SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian Hamsters. Three days post-infection, the lungs of hamsters were harvested and subjected to RNA-seq. Infected, but untreated, hamsters showed marked up-regulation of a number of genes including ISGs when compared to uninfected controls. In contrast, hamsters treated with ABBV-744 showed a down-regulation of ISG levels, confirming ABBV-744 activity. Thus, Brd2 inhibition can decrease SARS-CoV-2 infection in Syrian Hamsters. To determine gene expression changes induced by SARS-COV-2 infection, 4 lung tissue samples from hamsters infected with SARS-COV-2 and 4 samples from uninfected hamsters were harvested and subjected to RNA-seq. To determine the effect of ABBV-744, hamsters were treated with ABBV-744 or vehicle, followed by SARS-COV-2 infection. 8 lung tissue samples from ABBV-744 treated group and 8 samples from vehicle treated group were harvested and subjected to RNA-seq