SBIR Phase I: A knowledge base and drug repurposing platform for COVID-19

这个小企业创新研究第一阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创建一个软件平台，以促进识别可重新用于其他疾病的现有药物，如新冠肺炎。首先，确定美国食品和药物管理局批准的可以帮助新冠肺炎患者的药物有望挽救生命。此外，这可以防止长期或重复的大规模检疫事件造成的经济后果。最后，提供一个针对类似流感病毒的药物发现平台，其中包括来自SARS-CoV-2和其他相关病毒的数据，这将增加国家网络基础设施，并将允许在下一次出现新型病毒时做出更好的反应。拟议的项目将开发一个原型平台，以包括：i)最先进的数据分析方法，ii)全面的知识库，iii)与目前在打击新冠肺炎的斗争中采取的大多数其他途径相补充的办法。该方法将专注于利用转录组学和其他组学数据，重点放在宿主的免疫反应上。这一系统将使对免疫系统的急性反应等问题的有效研究成为可能，使缓解和/或避免细胞因子风暴的方法成为可能。这为抗病毒药物或疫苗的开发提供了重要的补充信息，无论病毒株如何，对未来的大流行都很重要。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project is to create a software platform to facilitate the identification of existing drugs that can be re-purposed for other diseases, such as COVID-19. First, identifying FDA-approved drugs that could help COVID-19 patients is expected to save lives. Furthermore, this can prevent the economic consequences of extended or repeated mass quarantine episodes. Finally, the availability of a drug discovery platform for flu-like viruses that includes data from SARS-CoV-2 and other related viruses will add to the national cyberinfrastructure and will allow a better response at the next occurrence of a novel virus. The proposed project will develop a prototype platform to include: i) state-of-the-art data analysis methods, ii) a comprehensive knowledge base, and iii) an approach complementary to most other avenues currently pursued in the fight against COVID-19. The approach will focus on leveraging transcriptomics and other omics data focusing on the host’s immune response. This system will enable efficient research into issues such as the acute reaction of the immune systems, enabling approaches to mitigate and/or avoid a cytokine storm. This provides important information complementary to development of antiviral medications or vaccines, important for a future pandemic regardless of the virus strain.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.