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Developing Broad-Based Treatments for Respiratory Viruses by Targeting Host Cell TTSPs

Principal Investigator: Gary Whittaker

Co-PI: Hector Aguilar-Carreno

Department of Microbiology and Immunology
Sponsor: NIH-National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)
Grant Number: 1R56AI181271-01
Title: Developing Broad-Based Treatments for Respiratory Viruses by Targeting Host Cell TTSPs
Project Amount: $429,432
Project Period: March 2024 to February 2025

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):

We propose to develop a novel therapeutic for respiratory viruses, including all current and predicted SARSCoV- 2 variants, other coronaviruses, influenza, and paramyxo/pneumoviruses—using a peptidomimetic small molecule approach targeting TMPRSS2 and other trypsin-like proteases (TTSP) that are essential for virus entry. We expect our therapeutic platform to be applicable and effective for prophylactic use, and so we will target virus transmission studies in vivo. As our system is based on simple-to-synthesize peptides, which act outside of the cell, is it expected to be cost–effective, and our approach is specifically designed to cover a range of distinct viruses. However, it is important to note that our platform is highly flexible, and be applicable in the face of a novel viruses that may emerge, without significance anti-viral resistance (as it is host-targeted).