Discovery of pan-ErbB inhibitors protecting from SARS-CoV-2 replication, inflammation, and lung injury by a drug repurposing screen

Abstract

Targeting host factors exploited by multiple viruses could offer broad-spectrum solutions for pandemic preparedness. Seventeen candidates targeting diverse functions emerged in a screen of 4,413 compounds for SARS-CoV-2 inhibitors. We demonstrated that lapatinib and other approved inhibitors of the ErbB family receptor tyrosine kinases suppress replication of SARS-CoV-2, Venezuelan equine encephalitis virus (VEEV), and other emerging viruses with a high barrier to resistance. Lapatinib suppressed SARS-CoV-2 entry and later stages of the viral life cycle and showed synergistic effect with the direct-acting antiviral nirmatrelvir. We discovered that ErbB1, 2 and 4 bind SARS-CoV-2 S1 protein and regulate viral and ACE2 internalization, and they are required for VEEV infection. In human lung organoids, lapatinib protected from SARS-CoV-2-induced activation of ErbB-regulated pathways implicated in non-infectious lung injury, pro-inflammatory cytokine production, and epithelial barrier injury. Lapatinib suppressed VEEV replication, cytokine production and disruption of the blood-brain barrier integrity in microfluidic-based human neurovascular units, and reduced mortality in a lethal infection murine model. We validated lapatinib-mediated inhibition of ErbB activity as an important mechanism of antiviral action. These findings reveal regulation of viral replication, inflammation, and tissue injury via ErbBs and establish a proof-of-principle for a repurposed, ErbB-targeted approach to combat emerging viruses.