Newsletter 2025
COVend: Advancing FX06 for ARDS with Multi-Omic and AI Technologies

The COVend consortium is making significant strides in medical research with the launch of the IXION 2.0 clinical trial, which has shifted focus from COVID-19 to examining FX06’s effectiveness for acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). This trial involves international collaboration and innovative methodologies, such as AI-driven analysis and advanced cell biology techniques, to provide personalised treatment approaches. COVend’s groundbreaking research has been showcased in prestigious forums like the EMBL Conference, 7th European Congress of Immunology and detailed in Horizon magazine. The consortium’s work, particularly by researchers at University College Dublin, is providing new perspectives on the potential of FX06. Discover more about these exciting developments in their featured articles.
Major Milestone Reached: COVend’s IXION 2.0 Trial Fully Launched and Accelerating Progress
The EU-funded COVend consortium kicked off the IXION 2.0 clinical trial in March 2024, enrolling the first patients across partnering clinical sites in Germany, France, Spain, Lithuania, and Romania. The trial closed in December 2024. Initially aimed at treating mild to severe COVID-19 in high-risk individuals, the trial has now pivoted to explore the drug’s efficacy for ARDS patients. This new direction is led by COVend’s scientific coordinator, Prof. Kai Zacharowski, MD PhD ML FRCA FESAIC, head of the Department of Anaesthesiology, Intensive Care Medicine and Pain Therapy at Goethe University Hospital Frankfurt and Dr. Petra Wuelfroth, COVend’s Innovation Manager and co-founder of F4 Pharma in Vienna. The consortium and clinical trial were restructured in record time reflecting a strong commitment to advancing innovative medical research for critical health conditions. The IXION 2.0 study is an exploratory, randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind, parallel phase II clinical trial, delivering the results on patient-relevant outcomes. An exploratory molecular analysis of the proteins, lipids, and metabolites in the blood of the study participants (known as ‘multi-omic analysis’) and artificial intelligence will identify subtle pathophysiological differences between patient groups. Advanced cell biology methods using endothelial cell lines will uncover the molecular mechanism of FX06, contributing to knowledge-based trust and transparency in medicine and potentially paving the way for further life-saving applications. In addition to scientific research, the COVend consortium is also dedicated to the evaluation of FX06 from a health economic perspective. By developing a dynamic model, the socio-economic benefits and cost-effectiveness of FX06 will be assessed to ensure its practical feasibility in healthcare.
COVend in the Spotlight: Recent Highlights and Appearances
The COVend partners from University College Dublin and Systems Biology Ireland have showcased pioneering research on how the fibrin-derived peptide FX06 can protect human pulmonary endothelial cells from cytokines triggered by COVID-19 at the EMBL Conference, EMBO Workshop: Building Networks 2024 in Barcelona, Spain on 6-8 May, 2024. A team researcher, Zhiran Wang, presented a dedicated poster on this innovative research. In September 2024, Zhiran Wang and her supervisor and one of COVend’s PIs, Prof Günther Eissner, participated in the 7th European Congress of Immunology in Dublin, further sharing their cutting-edge findings. COVend has also been featured in an article in Horizon magazine. Titled “Breathing Easier: Nature-Inspired Treatments Could Relieve Acute Respiratory Distress,” the article highlights the groundbreaking potential of COVend’s approach to providing new insights into the treatment of ARDS. Additionally, COVend was showcased at the Euroanaesthesia 2024 Congress held in Munich, Germany, on 25-27 May 2024.
Unlocking the Potential of FX06: An Interview with the UCD Systems Biology Ireland Team on Their Research in COVend
University College Dublin and Systems Biology Ireland focus on developing new therapeutic approaches to disease through a combination of traditional wet-lab experimental analyses and cutting-edge computational modelling and simulation. One of our key COVend researchers, Prof Günther Eissner, supervises a dedicated group of researchers who study the impact of COVID-19-triggered cytokines on human microvascular pulmonary endothelial cells. Günther’s team can gain detailed insights into the immune response, viability, stress signalling and other cellular processes. The researchers have made significant progress in understanding how the drug FX06 can counteract the pro-inflammatory effects of a SARS-CoV2 infection and the underlying mechanisms behind its action. These mechanisms are also relevant for the progression of ARDS and other conditions associated with endothelial inflammation and capillary leakage. We had the opportunity to speak with Günther and his team to learn more about their research. Follow the link to read the full interview with Günther Eissner and Zhiran Wang.sment and gathering requirements for the European ICU Data Space.
Author
- Anastasiia Aksonova, COVend Communications Manager