Grants and Contracts Details
Description
Abstract
Since its introduction, in May 2015, the mosquito borne Zika virus (ZIKV) has rapidly spread to
more than 40 countries throughout the South Pacific and the Americas. The association
between infection with ZIKV while pregnant and the occurrence of microcephaly in the fetus
has raised a significant public health concern. To date, there is no effective antiviral treatment
or vaccine to combat this rapidly escalating pandemic. The primary focus of this R21 application
is to develop a novel Zika virus (ZIKV) capsid-capsid interaction assay and employ it to screen
and identify chemical inhibitors of ZIKV replication. The formation of the ZIKV capsid protein
dimer is a prerequisite to executing multiple functions in the virus lifecycle. Previous studies on
other ZIKV-related C proteins have provided ample evidence that a relatively subtle
perturbation in the efficiency and timing of C protein dimerization can disrupt proper viral
assembly/disassembly and block virus infectivity. A recently described Dengue virus capsid
assembly inhibitor supports the feasibility of our approach in exploring the ZIKV capsid as a
target for anti-ZIKV drug discovery. Successful completion of this project will allow us develop a
novel high-throughput assay for identifying ZIKV capsid assembly/disassembly inhibitors. The
compounds identified through this work can be further studied to develop viable anti-ZIKV drug
candidates that could be used for treatment of ZIKV infection in human
Status | Finished |
---|---|
Effective start/end date | 6/1/20 → 7/31/22 |
Funding
- South Dakota State University: $69,205.00
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