RAPID: Viral Particle Disrupting and Sequestering Polymer Materials applied to Coronaviruses

这是NSF RAPID响应2020 CARES法案的奖项，由数学和物理科学理事会材料研究部的聚合物项目管理。自2019年底出现第一例2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）以来，该疾病已在全球感染了数百万人。导致COVID-19的病毒可以在各种表面上保持活性，能够引起感染数天，在此期间可能发生间接接触传播。冠状病毒既有表面的脂质包膜，也有表面呈现的类似刺突的蛋白质。病毒的这两种特征都可以用来捕获和摧毁合成材料中的病毒。该项目将开发能够灭活和隔离导致COVID-19的病毒的合成聚合物材料。这些材料将形成坚韧的结构，材料中含有合成基团和天然基团，既能破坏病毒表面的脂质分子，又能结合并捕获冠状病毒刺突蛋白。聚合物将形成一个坚固的网络，确保材料的性能延长一段时间。这项研究涉及聚合物的设计和合成，以及其机械性能的表征和研究，重点是开发可适应或涂覆在现有高接触表面上的材料。此外，该项目将创建可公开访问的虚拟演示文稿和内容，介绍聚合物材料如何对医疗保健行业和生物医学应用材料创新至关重要。随着耐久性优异、破坏和捕获冠状病毒能力强的材料的开发，通过减轻间接接触传播机制来减少COVID-19感染是可能的。第2部分：技术概述严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2 （SARS-CoV-2）的活性寿命超过24小时。这使得携带病毒的飞沫从受感染的人身上沉积后数小时或数天就会发生传播。破坏病毒并将病毒隔离到表面的材料可以降低2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）的传播率。该项目将开发病毒捕获和破坏坚固的网络，可用于覆盖常见的表面。高分子材料将破坏SARS-CoV-2病毒颗粒的脂质包膜，并以高亲和力结合SARS-CoV-2表面的刺突。将研究纯合成材料以及多肽/合成材料的混合方法。这些聚合物将包括坚韧的网络形成功能以及肽或合成聚合物，用于脂质包膜破坏和刺突蛋白结合。该项目的科学重点是确定聚合物材料的微观结构和功能如何影响其形成坚韧且机械坚固的网络的能力；破坏病毒脂质膜；并通过表面刺突蛋白固定SARS-CoV-2。包含不同交联密度和大分子结构的聚合物材料库将用于确定聚合物结构如何影响材料的机械性能、脂质颗粒破裂能力以及与SARS-CoV-2刺突蛋白结合的能力。这将指导材料的设计，以获得最佳的机械性能和冠状病毒破坏能力，并将促进表面涂层的设计，以防止结构长寿命的间接接触传播。为了让公众远程了解聚合物材料的重要性，将开发一系列每月一期的YouTube视频，以传达聚合物材料对健康和安全的重要性，突出医疗保健和生物医学应用材料的发展。这笔拨款是由分配给MPS的冠状病毒援助、救济和经济安全（关怀）法案补充提供的资金提供的。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。

This is an NSF RAPID award in response to the 2020 CARES Act and is managed by the Polymers Program in the Division of Materials Research of the Directorate for Mathematical and Physical Sciences.PART 1: NON-TECHNICAL SUMMARYSince the first cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared in late 2019, the disease has infected millions globally. The virus responsible for COVID-19 can stay active, capable of causing infections, on various surfaces for days, during which time indirect contact transmission could occur. Coronaviruses contain both a surface envelope of lipids and surface presented proteins which resemble spikes. Both of these features of the virus can be used to trap and destroy the viruses within synthetic materials. Synthetic polymer materials capable of inactivating and sequestering the virus causing COVID-19 will be developed in this project. These materials will form tough structures, with the materials containing synthetic and natural groups to both disrupt the lipid molecules on the surface of the virus and to bind and trap the coronavirus spike proteins. The polymers will form a tough network, ensuring the material performs for an extended period of time. This research involves design and synthesis of polymers as well as characterization and study of their mechanical properties and focuses on developing materials that could be adapted or coated onto existing high-touch surfaces. Additionally, the project will create publicly accessible virtual presentations and content on how polymer materials are critical for the health care industry and innovations in materials for biomedical applications. With the development of materials with excellent durability and robust ability to disrupt and trap the coronavirus, a reduction in COVID-19 infection by mitigating the indirect contact transmission mechanism is possible.PART 2: TECHNICAL SUMMARYSevere acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) exhibits active lifetimes of over 24 hours. This enables transmission to occur hours or days after a virus containing droplet is deposited from an infected individual. Materials that destroy the virus and sequester the virus to the surface could reduce the transmission rate of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This project will develop virus trapping and disrupting tough networks which could be used to coat commonly encountered surfaces. The polymer materials will disrupt the lipid envelope of SARS-CoV-2 viral particles and bind the spike on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 with high affinity. Both purely synthetic materials as well as hybrid peptide/synthetic materials approaches will be investigated. The polymers will include tough network forming functionalities as well as peptide or synthetic polymers for both lipid envelope disruption and spike protein binding. The scientific focus of the project is to determine how a polymer material's microstructure and functionality impacts its ability to: form tough and mechanically robust networks; disrupt viral lipid envelopes; and immobilize SARS-CoV-2 through the surface spike proteins. A library of polymer materials containing distinct crosslink densities and macromolecular architectures will be used to determine how polymer structure impacts a material's mechanical property, lipid particle rupturing capability, and ability to bind to SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins. This will guide the design of materials for optimal mechanical performance and coronavirus disrupting capabilities, and will facilitate the design of surface coatings that can hinder indirect contact transmission with long lifetimes of the structures. To remotely engage with the public on the importance of polymer materials, a series of monthly YouTube videos will be developed to convey how polymer materials are critical to health and safety, highlighting developments in materials for healthcare and biomedical applications.This grant is being awarded using funds made available by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act supplement allocated to MPS.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.