Development of Peptide Inhibitors of SARS-CoV-2: Human Protein Interaction [Funder: Carleton University COVID-19 Rapid Research Response Grants]

The COVID-19 pandemic, caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, has led to catastrophic loss of life and the necessity to implement quarantines globally to contain the virus's propagation. In order to reduce the transmission of the virus between people, three strategies can be used: wide-spread vaccination, wide-spread use of anti-viral medication, and social distancing (immediately applicable, though highly disruptive). Our work focuses on the second strategy by using algorithms developed here at Carleton University to study the novel coronavirus and to produce novel peptide-based anti-viral drugs designed to inhibit virus-human interactions. This research represents a collaboration between two bioinformatics labs: The Green Lab will focus on the computational goals, while the Biggar Lab will confirm and characterize novel-predicted targets using experimental techniques. By understanding and controlling the interactions that exist between the SARS-CoV-2 virus and humans, this research will identify new ways to disrupt the virus-host relationship.