RAPID: A multiscale approach to dissect SARS-CoV-2 attachment to host cells and detect viruses on surfaces

2019年新型冠状病毒被确认为武汉报告的肺炎病理的原因，迅速传播并成为全球大流行。该项目将使用实验方法开发从环境样本中检测SARSCoV-2的传感器，并通过应用计算机机器学习方法开发病毒附着到细胞上的预测模型。该项目的成果将有助于制定积极主动的措施，在病毒能够在人类之间广泛传播和传播之前识别具有大流行潜力的病毒。参与这项研究的研究生将获得蛋白质生物化学、荧光显微镜和计算模拟方面的经验，以及利用这些技能解决社会重要性问题的经验。这个美国国家科学基金会快速反应研究(RAPID)项目将支持一个旨在表征SARS-CoV-2刺突蛋白(S)介导的受体相互作用的项目。开发基于荧光的方法来表征SARSCoV-2附着在血管紧张素转换酶(ACE2)功能化表面的密度和迁移率可控，鉴定ACE2胞外区的模拟多肽以开发传感器从环境样本中检测SARSCoV-2，以及利用机器学习开发和验证初级序列的冠状病毒附着预测模型是该项目的具体目标。这一快速奖项由分子和细胞生物科学部的分子生物物理计划颁发，资金来自冠状病毒援助、救济、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 2019 novel coronavirus, identified as the cause for the pneumonia pathology reported in Wuhan, spread quickly and became a global pandemic. The project will employ experimental methods to develop sensors for the detection of SARSCoV-2 from environmental samples and develop predictive models for virus attachment to cells by applying computational machine learning methods. The outcome of this project will contribute to the development of proactive measures to identify viruses with pandemic potential before they are able to transmit and spread broadly among humans. The graduate students involved in this research will gain experience in protein biochemistry, fluorescence microscopy, and computational simulations and experience utilizing those skills to problems of societal importance.This NSF Rapid response Research (RAPID) project will support a project that is aimed to characterize receptor interactions mediated by the Spike protein (S) of SARS-CoV-2. Development of fluorescence-based assays to characterize SARSCoV-2 attachment to Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE2)-functionalized surfaces with controlled density and mobility, identifying peptide mimics of the ACE2 ectodomain for the development of sensors to detect SARSCoV-2 from environmental samples, and develop and validate predictive models of CoV attachment from primary sequence using machine learning constitute the specific goals of this project.This RAPID award is made by the Molecular Biophysics Program in the Division of Molecular and Cellular Biosciences, using funds from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act.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.