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A PEPTIDE-BASED APPROACH TO FIGHT SARS-COV-2: FROM VACCINES TO ANTIVIRALS

Prof. Anna Maria Papini  (Interdept. Res. Unit of Peptide and Protein Chemistry and Biology, Dept. of Chemistry “Ugo Schiff”, University of Florence, Italy)

日時： 令和5 年11 月13 日（月）13:30～14:30
場所： 中百舌鳥キャンパス A13 棟 323 号室（講義室B）

 The devastating pandemic of severe acute respiratory syndrome known as COVID-19 is caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. A trimeric spike (S) protein expressed on the virus outer bilayer leaflet has been identified as a ligand that allows the virus to penetrate human host cells and cause infection. Its receptor-binding domain (RBD) interacts with the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2), the host-cell viral receptor, and therefore the interaction between these two proteins is the subject of intense research for the development of virus control means, both vaccines and antiviral drugs. In a first research line, we searched for smaller fragments of the S protein able to elicit virus-neutralizing antibodies, suitable for production by peptide synthesis technology. We also implemented a strategy based on synthetic peptides to develop new antiviral compounds mimicking the binding motif of ACE2 and potentially able to inhibit the ACE2/Spike protein interaction, thus preventing the cell entry.

(世話人・中瀬 生彦）

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