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

这一小企业创新研究第二阶段项目的更广泛影响/商业潜力推动了新冠肺炎的治疗。像这样导致新冠肺炎的病毒感染会给细胞带来类似于癌症、肥胖、糖尿病和衰老的压力。该项目为危重患者推进了一次无毒注射，以减少细胞压力，阻止病毒感染，并提高存活率。此外，这种生物疗法对SARS-CoV-2变异、埃博拉和甲型流感也有效，这有可能改变病毒感染的治疗方法和癌症治疗方法。这个小企业创新研究第二阶段项目通过阻断肺细胞上的SARS-CoV-2受体来推进一种终止新冠肺炎的治疗方法。该项目推进了一项发现，即一种名为GRP78的生存蛋白对病毒的传染性是必不可少的，以及相关的抑制物可以防止感染。该项目优化了使用领先的GRP78抑制剂来阻止SARS-CoV-2的尖峰蛋白(SP)和突变，以及其他病毒受体结合域(RBD)与受体和肺细胞结合的方法。预计领先的GRP78抑制剂阻断全病毒SARS-CoV-2、埃博拉和甲型流感病毒感染肺细胞的有效性将超过99%。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 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.