Scientists develop novel mechanism to combat SARS-CoV-2 infection

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, July 13

A new class of synthetic elements has been developed that can not only block the entry of SARS-CoV-2 virus into body cells but also clump the virus particles together, thereby reducing their ability to spread infection. This novel approach can provide an alternative mechanism to render viruses like Corona inactive.

The rapid emergence of new strains of SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has caused havoc across the globe over the past two-and-a-half years, has diminished the protection offered by various COVID-19 vaccines.

This mandated a fresh approach to check infection by this virus and the new class of peptides, which is a form of amino acid produced by the body, appears to be promising antivirals, according to a statement issued today by the Ministry of Science and Technology.

It is an established fact that protein-protein interaction is often like that of a lock and a key. This interaction can be hampered by synthetic peptide that mimics, competes with and prevents the key from binding to the lock and vice versa.

Scientists at the Institute of Microbial Technology, Chandigarh, in collaboration with researchers from the Indian Institute of Science, have exploited this approach to design peptides that can bind to and block the spike protein on the surface of SARS-CoV-2 virus. This binding was further characterised extensively by various biophysical methods.

The researchers tested the peptide for toxicity in mammalian cells in the laboratory and found it to be safe. When hamsters were administered doses of the peptide and subsequently exposed to a high dose of SARS-CoV-2 virus, they showed decreased viral load as well as much lower cell damage in the lungs as compared to hamsters exposed only to the virus, the statement added.

The research, supported by the Science and Engineering Research Board of the Department of Science and Technology, has been published recently in the Nature Chemical Biology, a peer reviewed journal. A total of 14 scientists from the two institutions were involved in the research.