Award Details:
Award Type: covid-19-response
Award #: CR-003
Proposal Title: Covalent Inhibitors of the Nsp16 2′-O-Methyltransferase of SARS-CoV-2
PI(s): Karla Satchell (NU), Vadim Gaponenko (UIC), and Viresh Rawal (UChicago)
Award Amount: $498,750.00
Application Cycle: Summer 2020
Award Start Date: September 1, 2020
Award End Date: February 28, 2022
Abstract:
There are limited treatments for COVID-19, the global pandemic respiratory disease caused by the virus SARS-CoV-2. A potentially effective treatment would be a drug against the virus 2’- O-methyltransferase nsp16/nsp10 protein complex. This protein made by the virus is required to modify the ends of critical virus nucleotide sequences that code for the building blocks necessary to assemble a complete virus. This modification also helps the virus hide from our immune system. We propose to design effective inhibitors of this complex. The goal is to generate a lead compound for advanced drug design and for efficacy in SARS-CoV-2 infection models.