STTR Phase I: Designer peptide opsonins against COVID-19

这项小企业技术转让（STTR）第一阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力是开发一种新的治疗方法，用于治疗导致COVID-19的SARS-CoV-2病毒。这项拟议中的技术是一种新的治疗方法，专门针对冠状病毒，并在其表面组装，使病毒失去传染性。这种治疗方法可能会保护轻度至中度症状的COVID-19患者免受病情恶化和可能传播病毒的影响。这种疗法以后也可能对无症状或未感染的高危人群有益。这项小型企业技术转移（STTR）一期项目将研究自组装肽（SAPs）在COVID-19病毒（SARS-CoV-2）等病原体表面的超分子组装性质及其对病原体损伤和免疫识别的影响。自组装肽比非功能化肽具有更大的稳定性，但它们比抗体小20倍。因此，它们可以结合抗体和小分子的主要优点，为快速和负担得起的迫切需要的治疗方法的广泛开发提供一种新的模式。目前的重新利用努力受到缺乏特异性的限制，而针对sars - cov -2的努力主要是由抗体或蛋白质主导的，这些抗体或蛋白质很难大规模快速生产。我们将：(1)设计功能化的抗covid -19 sap，并研究其与SARS-CoV-2病毒刺突蛋白受体结合域（RBD）的结合动力学；(2)观察抗covid -19 sap体外抑制病毒感染的效果；(3)建立sap的体外细胞相容性和体内剂量范围耐受性。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值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 Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project is to develop a new therapeutic for the SARS-CoV-2 virus causing COVID-19. The proposed technology is a novel therapeutic engineered to specifically target the coronavirus and assemble on its surface, disabling the virus’ infectivity. This therapeutic will potentially protect COVID-19 patients with mild to moderate symptoms from worsening and possibly transmitting the virus. The therapy may later benefit asymptomatic or non-infected high-risk groups as well. This Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will study the nature of supramolecular assembly of self-assembled peptides (SAPs) on the surface of pathogens such as the COVID-19 virus (SARS-CoV-2) and its impact on the impairment and immune recognition of the pathogen. Self-assembled peptides have greater stability than unfunctionalized peptides, yet they are twenty times smaller than antibodies. Therefore, they may combine key benefits of antibodies and small molecules, enabling a new modality designed for rapid and affordable widespread development of urgently needed therapies. Current repurposing efforts are limited by a lack of specificity, while SARS-CoV-2-specific efforts are dominated by antibodies or proteins that are challenging to rapidly manufacture at scale. We will: (1) engineer functionalized anti-COVID-19 SAPs and studying their binding kinetics to the SARS-CoV-2 viral spike protein receptor binding domain (RBD); (2) investigate the in vitro efficacy of anti-COVID-19 SAPs in inhibiting viral infection; and (3) establish the in vitro cytocompatibility and in vivo dose range tolerability of the SAPs.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.