Characterizing Potent Antivirals in Canadian Liverworts and Engineering High-Yield Production in Yeast

Antiviral drugs play a crucial role in combatting high-impact viruses like influenza, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), hepatitis, and SARS-CoV-2, as they significantly reduce hospitalizations and mortality rates. Nonetheless, there is a need to expand our antiviral arsenal with new and effective treatments to keep up with the rapid evolution of viral resistances and prepare us for future outbreaks and pandemics. Liverworts, small plants related to mosses, produce an impressive range of bioactive chemicals, including terpenoids and bisbibenzyls, which show potential for fighting influenza, HIV, and SARS-CoV-2. Canada is home to a diversity of liverwort species, offering a rich opportunity for discovering new antiviral compounds. However, liverworts synthesize low amounts of these bioactive chemicals, making it difficult to obtain enough for medicinal uses. A powerful solution is to engineer yeast as little biofactories to produce the biochemicals in large quantities. My proposed project aims to screen Canadian liverwort species for new and potent antivirals, identify the genes involved in making them using bioinformatics, and insert these genes into yeast. I would then maximize production of the antivirals by engineering the yeast metabolism and optimizing fermentation parameters. This project could find novel treatments for the viral diseases that significantly impact public health and help us better prepare for future pandemics. Furthermore, bioproduction using yeast is more sustainable than traditional chemical synthesis, and it ensures affordability and high accessibility of the antiviral compounds for both the research and medical communities. My approach addresses critical global health challenges, while promoting environmentally-friendly production solutions.