Anti viral entry release transmission (AVERT) peptides
Dr. Gerard C. L. Wong is a Professor in the Department of Bioengineering, Department of Chemistry, and the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA. His current research interests include bacterial biofilm communities, innate immunity, and antibiotic design.
Viruses infect hosts by gaining entry into cells through membrane fusion and spread from cell to cell via the release of progeny virions. These processes occur primarily by budding through the cell membrane or cell lysis, which involve membrane fission and pore formation, respectively. The intervention of such membrane processes thus becomes an attractive approach for developing broad-spectrum antivirals.
Dr. Gerald Wong and collagues developed broad spectrum antiviral peptides that inhibit the key membrane-remodeling events that are highly conserved during the infection caused by a wide range of viruses including the SARS-CoV-2 virus that caused COVID-19. This class of peptide can inhibit the membrane restructuring processes that occur during viral infections, specifically (1) viral entry into a cell to initiate infection, and (2) release of progeny virions from an infected host cell. This peptide has potential as both a prophylactic against viral infection, as well as a therapeutic to mitigate the spread of infection within a human host and viral transmission from infected to uninfected individuals. Therefore this drug may not only be used for the prevention and treatment for the emerging COVID-19 coronavirus but also other viruses including but not limited to SARS-CoV-2, SARS, and MERS. The targeted population includes people of all ages and genders who are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Additional Information:
Link to Lab home page: http://wonglab.seas.ucla.edu/
Link to PI's bio: https://www.chemistry.ucla.edu/directory/wong-gerard-c-l