Xavier Alum's Company Testing Drug to Treat COVID-19 Patients

Apr 9, 2020

Tim Schroeder spent the first part of his career as a faculty member teaching and researching transplant pathology after graduating from Xavier in 1979 with a degree in biology. For him, it was all about the science and the value of research—especially into the causes and effects of diseases. That is what pathology is all about.

He never imagined, however, that his interest in the scientific study of diseases would land him in the middle of the response to what is likely to be the worst pandemic the world has ever experienced. But 40 years after earning his degree, Schroeder finds himself directly involved in scientific testing of several drugs that could potentially help patients survive the deadly coronavirus disease.

A scientist at heart, Schroeder also had a knack for business. So after working in academia for 10 years, he transitioned to the business side of research, and in 1999, founded CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services of Covington, Ky. The company works with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies to develop and test new medications, preparing them for approval by the Food and Drug Administration and other regulators.

In response to the COVID-19 crisis, Schroeder’s company is working with Humanigen Inc. of Burlingame, Calif., to fast-track clinical trials of the drug lenzilumab, a monoclonal antibody that reduces or prevents development of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS)—a key factor in patients infected with the coronavirus.

Schroeder’s company is collaborating with the FDA to get the potentially life-saving drug tested, approved and available to hospitals in an accelerated time frame. Hospitals in the Cincinnati area could be among the first to treat patients with the new drug if the trial is approved by the FDA, Schroeder said.

“This study and others in the COVID-19 area are on a very expedited timeframe,” Schroeder said. “In many cases, we are able to treat patients in less than one month from the time of initiation as opposed to one year or more in typical times. We hope and expect a much quicker timeline for the COVID-19 therapies.” 

Schroeder said they have at least have a dozen other studies underway of drugs that show promise for treating COVID-19 patients in the coming weeks. They address different levels of symptoms in patients, from mild to moderate to severe. The company is also preparing to launch a study of an investigational drug to prevent COVID-19 disease progression in health-care workers.

But the Humanigen drug is a big focus right now. He said the drug has been studied in cancer patients to reduce a symptom of immunotherapy treatments that leads to development of acute respiratory distress syndrome.

“The coronavirus causes a very similar respiratory impact on patients and causes death in the most severe cases,” he said. “We are cautiously optimistic that the Humanigen study will demonstrate a benefit to patients and either stop them from progressing to ARDS or decrease the severity of ARDS.”

Schroeder sees the work his company is doing as contributing to the betterment of society—a value that was ingrained in him by his Jesuit education at Xavier.

“I believe that during extremely challenging times like this, you revert to the basics of servant leadership,” he said. “Treat everyone with respect and compassion and unite behind a passion for helping others. We have been blessed to be in a position during the COVID-19 outbreak that we can do that. I am surrounded by an extremely talented and passionate team who make the world a better place every day.”

By France Sloat, Office of Marketing and Communications

Read more stories about Xavier on the Front Lines of COVID-19.