Prophylactic therapy for SARS-CoV-2 and MERS
This technology is a set of lipopeptides with enhanced solubility that can be used as prophylactic therapies against SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viral infections.
Unmet Need: Prophylactic antiviral therapy against evolving SARS-CoV-2 viral strains
Although vaccines have proven effective against SARS-CoV-2, emerging variants and declining vaccination rates necessitate new strategies to neutralize infection from evolving viral strains. Orthogonal methods to mitigate viral infections and dampen transmission would significantly benefit public health. Particularly, prophylactic treatments that generally inhibit SARS-CoV-2 viral fusion with host cells could provide a variant-agnostic approach for disease treatment that addresses ongoing public health challenges with this family of viruses.
The Technology: Lipopeptide viral fusion inhibitor for SARS-CoV-2 treatment
This technology is a set of lipopeptides developed to inhibit the fusion of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viruses with human host cells. They were designed in a structure-guided manner with charged residues at specific sites to enhance their solubility. This enhanced solubility in a physiological environment will improve their clinical utility for use as prophylactic treatments of SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viral infections.
This technology has been validated with human cell lines.
Applications:
- Prophylactic agent for SARS-CoV-2 and MERS
- Research tool for SARS-CoV-2 and MERS viral pathogenesis
- Mechanism of action identification for antiviral and pharmacological agents
- Research tool for understanding viral-host cell membrane fusion
Advantages:
- Improved solubility in physiological environments increases clinical utility
- Targets viral-host cell membrane fusion for prophylactic effect
- Appended cholesterol moiety anchors inhibitor at membrane site of action, enhancing antiviral efficacy
Lead Inventor:
Patent Information:
Patent Pending
Related Publications:
Tech Ventures Reference:
IR CU25029
Licensing Contact: Kristin Neuman