SBIR Phase II: Stress Pathway Inhibition To Prevent COVID-19 Infection (COVID-19)

小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力推动了COVID-19的治疗。 导致COVID-19的病毒感染会对细胞产生类似于癌症、肥胖、糖尿病和衰老的压力。该项目为危重患者提供了一种单一的无毒注射剂，以减少细胞应激，阻断病毒感染，提高生存率。此外，这种生物疗法对SARS-CoV-2突变、埃博拉病毒和甲型流感也有效。这有可能改变病毒感染和癌症治疗的治疗。 这个小型企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目通过阻断肺细胞上的SARS-CoV-2受体来推进结束COVID-19的治疗。 该项目进一步发现，一种生存蛋白GRP 78对病毒的感染性至关重要，相关的抑制剂可以预防感染。 该项目优化了使用一种先导GRP 78抑制剂来阻断SARS-CoV-2和突变的刺突蛋白（SPs）以及其他病毒受体结合结构域（RBD）与受体和肺细胞结合的方法。 据预测，GRP 78抑制剂对SARS-CoV-2、埃博拉和甲型流感病毒感染肺细胞的阻断效果将超过99%。该奖项反映了NSF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 Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project advance the treatment of COVID-19. A viral infection like that leading to COVID-19 creates stress on cells similar to cancer, obesity, diabetes and aging. This project advances a single non-toxic injection for critical patients to reduce cellular stress, block virus infection, and increase survival. In addition, this biologic therapy is also effective against the SARS-CoV-2 mutations, Ebola, and Influenza A. This has the potential to transform treatment for virus infections and cancer therapy. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project advances a treatment to end COVID-19 by blocking the SARS-CoV-2 receptors on lung cells. The project advances discoveries that a survival protein, GRP78, is essential for virus infectivity and that an associated inhibitor can prevent infection. The project optimizes methods to use a lead GRP78 inhibitor to block spike proteins (SPs) of SARS-CoV-2 and mutations, as well as other virus receptor binding domains (RBDs) from binding to receptors and to lung cells. It is anticipated that the efficacy of the lead GRP78 inhibitor to block whole virus SARS-CoV-2, Ebola, and Influenza A viruses’ infection on lung cells will exceed 99%.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.